


Kind of Friends

by Pembrooke330



Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Break Up, Cheating, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Feelings, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends With Benefits, From Sex to Love, Hook-Up, Jeronica, Love, POV Jughead Jones, POV Veronica Lodge, Riverdale, Secret Relationship, Secret Sex, Sex, Smut, Veronica Lodge - Freeform, Vughead, jughead and veronica, jughead jones - Freeform, veronica and jughead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-02-18 13:00:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 52,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18700114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pembrooke330/pseuds/Pembrooke330
Summary: Jughead and Veronica have a dirty little secret. But how long can their secret stay hidden before it can no longer be kept?





	1. Chapter 1

It wasn’t on purpose when his eyes landed on her as he entered the hallway that led to his first class of the day at Riverdale High, but it was also unavoidable.

Veronica Lodge was that kind of girl that you were surprised to find out actually existed in real life. She was too smart, too beautiful, and too savoir-faire for their small town. She didn’t fit in any more than he did, and yet, they were worlds apart.

His eyes only stayed on her long enough to keep himself from thinking too much about her during the daylight hours. Because it was what happened at night that had given him the ability to memorize her.

Jughead knew every single dip and curve of her body, every angle of her face, the way her chest rose and fell when she breathed, when she sighed. Forever etched in his memory was the look she got whenever he made her come.

And as he passed by her, he could smell her perfume. The same perfume that he always seemed to discover on his own skin long after he’d left her body. That smell that made him immediately hard as he kept heading down the hallway, not having acknowledged her, and Veronica not acknowledging him either.

No one knew what they did together. It was their dirty, little secret that they had successfully kept from everyone for the past two months.

And no one could ever know, because it would cause nothing but unbearable pain to both of their significant others.

Betty would be devastated. Archie would be gutted.

But no matter how wrong what they were doing was, they couldn’t stop.

The sex was too good. The desire and need between them was too strong. Jughead had never felt so weak than when he was taking off Veronica’s lace panties and stuffing them in his back pocket before touching her, dying to hear that noise she made when his fingers teased her.

But he had also never before felt such an intense, addictive buzz throughout every single vein in his body when he was with her. He had never felt more aware, unaffected, and fierce.

He liked the feeling that being with Veronica gave him just as much as he liked feeling her naked skin against his own.

It had all happened by accident, and never should have happened in the first place, but it had. Timing and circumstances had superfluously fallen into place like jagged pieces of some sort of fucked up puzzle.

Before they could stop, it was already way too late. Words had been uttered in between touches and sighs. Things they both had thought but had never dared speak. But it was undeniable that someday, the two misfits of Riverdale would eventually be unable to avoid the curiosity that had plagued them both ever since the first moment they’d met.

They didn’t say much when they were together, but it always began with a text.

_Where are you? Got some time?_

And it was always in the darkness of night, in places and at times when no one would know what they were up to.

Limited conversation was a rule, as if speaking to each other would break the unexplainable spell between them, would make them realize that what they were doing was real. _Too_ real.

Talking about what they were doing was off limits. Living in denial suited them both for the time being.

Things only got tricky when they were forced to be around each other because of Archie and Betty. The four of them sitting at Pop’s, like they always had, became a performance. Jughead and Veronica still played off each other with searing jabs and quick-witted comebacks, making sure their eyes didn’t give anything away. Making sure he didn’t find himself staring too long at the spot on her neck that he had kissed and licked over and over the night before.

It was tense but thrilling, a strange kind of adrenaline coursed through his veins when another hang-out went by without raising any suspicions from his best friend and his girlfriend.

He had no doubt that it was the same for Veronica. And he knew it was the same for her because she was so much like him. There was no denying it. Jughead and Veronica were cut from the same cloth, made from the same mold. And it was to their detriment, but also their saving grace. Because having someone who was like him, and in a place where no one had ever been like him, was a comfort he didn’t want to ever need, but needing it hadn’t been his choice.

\---

 

She didn’t look in his direction as they sat in the AP English class they were both taking.

Loading up her schedule senior year with college preparatory classes had thrown her in with everyone in her graduating class that were vying to become valedictorian when they graduated in the spring, as well as doing whatever necessary to secure a top spot at their various university choices.

Veronica’s choice was NYU law school.

So, she focused her attention on the rough draft of her research paper on the works of Jane Austen, instead of giving Jughead Jones the time of day. Acting disinterested even though her thoughts wandered to the night before when he had picked her up in front of the Pembrooke Apartments and taken her to a dark spot along the shoreline of Sweetwater River.

She still had on her short, black and white polka dot dress that she had worn for her date with Archie. She hadn’t even gone up to her apartment after Archie had dropped her off and she insisted he didn’t need to ride the elevator up to the penthouse with her. She’d waved goodbye until Archie had turned the corner before pulling her phone out of her purse.

_You busy?_

She had texted.

He’d kept her waiting a good ten minutes before replying.

_Leaving the Wyrm now. You out front?_

Veronica’s lips curled into a slight smile.

_Yes._

She had replied, knowing her parents would assume she was still on her date with Archie and not sneaking off to be with a boy that they would never approve of.

_I’ll be there in a few._

Jughead had picked her up in his father’s truck, which explained why it had taken him ten minutes to answer her. It was the vehicle that drove them to wherever they needed to go to be alone when they couldn’t sneak around at one of the other’s homes. And Veronica often wondered if FP ever wondered where his truck would disappear to in the late hours of the night, if he even knew it had disappeared at all.

“Hey.” Jughead said once she had climbed into the cab of the old, rusted Ford.

“Hey.” She replied, pulling off her panties while he drove.

He moved effortlessly through the streets, his eyes locked on the road ahead, determination in his jaw. She knew that look. It was the look he got when he was about to fuck her so hard, she’d be sore for days.

It was the most extraordinary pain. She reveled in it.

He fucked her like he had something to prove, something to claim. She didn’t know what, exactly. It was pretty obvious that she was in that truck, riding with him, her panties in her purse, her heels on the floorboard, because he was the only guy who could quench her insatiable lust.

He was the only guy who had ever been able to give it to her the way she wanted it, to not treat her like she would break, didn’t treat her like he was too intimidating to be near. She’d never had to tell him what she wanted. He just knew.

He fucked her like he didn’t care about her money or her fancy penthouse, her socialite upbringing, her straight A’s, her Rivervixen title. He didn’t have to try. He was naturally amazing.

And it was the best discovery she had ever made in her entire life.

Jughead had barely parked the truck when Veronica began to eagerly undo his jeans, unable to see much because of the dark forest around them, the only light coming from the digital clock on the truck radio.

But she had finally managed to free him just enough to climb onto his lap and guide his hard erection into her.

Their mutual sighs once he was buried inside of her was the only sound other than the crickets and the gurgling river next to where the truck sat.

And just like that, they were lost in a world of their own creation. The sex so blindingly good that Veronica knew she would never be able to give it up willingly. And instead of feeling guilty for it, she convinced herself that she deserved this. She deserved having her body feel this good. She deserved to be satisfied. She deserved to be with a guy who knew what he was doing, who didn’t hold back, and who made sure she got everything she craved.

“Uh…uhh…mmm…yeah…mmmm…” She panted as she ground her hips against Jughead, her hands bracing themselves on the ceiling of the truck cab.

Jughead’s hands were under her dress, lifting it up so he could glide his tongue over each peak of her breasts, pulling the pink tips into his mouth, releasing, then doing it again, making her shiver and moan without any control.

And that’s how it always was with him. She had no control. Whatever he did to her, she never expected it, so she could never play it cool or hold back. It was so unusual for her, because she had always had so much control in every aspect of her life. But with Jughead, she didn’t, and she relished every second of it.

And it’s why she yelped with unbridled delight when Jughead suddenly cradled her body in his arms and took her down onto the seat of the truck, so he was now on top of her, pushing himself into her hard and vigorous, not letting up until she was completely breathless and sated.

Never in a million years would Veronica have ever thought that Jughead could be this good. When she’d first met him, he’d been an obvious virgin. He was teased mercilessly by all the asshole jocks for it. Most girls didn’t give the quiet loner much attention, assuming he was more interested in his books and his laptop than anything else.

It had been the attention of Betty Cooper that had turned everything around. Veronica had chuckled to herself thinking about the fact that Betty had never offered up any information regarding her sex life with Jughead.

Naturally, Veronica wondered if Betty’s silence on the subject had all been in an effort to keep what she knew about Jughead all to herself. Afraid that if everyone knew the absolute lion Jughead was in bed, that every girl in school would be after him.

Betty wasn’t wrong for being cautious. Jughead Jones and his love making skills had to be the most salacious of secrets in all of Riverdale.

And Veronica felt beyond lucky to be in on that particular secret as Jughead made her come for the umpteenth time that night.

“I should go home…” She sighed as she came down from her most recent orgasm.

Jughead smirked.

“Had enough, Princess?”

Veronica shook her head.

“Never. I could do this all night, Jones. But you know how my dad is…”

Jughead winced.

“ _Please_ don’t mention your dad while I’m fucking you.”

Veronica let out a laugh that turned into a moan as Jughead ground deeper into her, his cock so hard that she knew that all it would take was one lick against the ticking vein in his neck to make him fall to pieces on top of her.

“Aw…shit…” He groaned as her mouth latched onto his neck, her hands threaded into his hair as his body began to shudder from his own release.

“Your stamina is still mindboggling to me.” She sighed as she watched him sit up and push his still throbbing cock back into his open jeans.

Jughead chuckled.

“Practice makes perfect.”

Veronica laughed again as she pulled on her panties and straightened her dress.

The playful side she had been able to experience when it came to Jughead was one of the other reasons why she enjoyed their clandestine time together. The late-night hours, coupled with the hot sex, seemed to relax him. Just as it did for her. There was an ability to let their guard down a little, which made sense considering how intimate what they were doing with each other was in the first place.

And when Jughead pulled up in front of the Pembrooke, she leaned over and gave him a long, deep, sultry kiss, wondering if this time would be the last time before someone eventually found out what was going on.

And what she would do if that were to happen.

 

To be continued?????????????????

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I keep going with this story? :)


	2. Chapter 2

“Your grades are wonderful, Mr. Jones. And your work on the school paper is outstanding. But what about other extracurriculars? I see that you have never joined any of the athletic teams. Have you ever tried out for any of them?”

Jughead rolled his eyes as he sat with the senior class guidance counselor, Mrs. Bean.

She looked exhausted sitting behind her desk with an enormous tumbler cup filled with what looked like black coffee, her curly hair in a messy bun as she rubbed her temple while tapping her pen on the front cover of Jughead’s cumulative folder.

Dealing with members of the senior class all day long, talking about options and goals, had to be one of the most exhausting jobs ever created.

“Look, I know my dad was some kind of football hero back in the day for Riverdale, but that’s not me.” Jughead replied as the image of his dad’s trophies and photo in one of the school trophy cases popped into his head.

He was proud of his dad’s old high school accomplishments, but Jughead loathed it when the faculty members that had gone to school with his dad felt the need to compare the two Jones men.

Mrs. Bean shook her head.

“I’m not saying you have to play football, or any other sport. But it would look better on your college applications if you had other activities you were involved in. Being broad in your high school career is very important to these admissions people.”

Jughead sighed as he waited for Mrs. Bean to make her obligatory guidance counselor suggestions.

“You don’t want to do sports, as you’ve made it clear to me. So, I have two ideas that I think you need to pursue. One, join the dance committee. No, it’s not a ‘girl thing’. Kevin Keller and your Serpent friend, Fangs Fogarty, are on the committee.”

Jughead sighed heavily. Kevin and Fangs were also gay, and as it was with many gay males, their ideas were always some of the best when it came to social event planning. Jughead couldn’t even imagine what he’d be able to offer while in their expert company.

“And…I think you should try out for this semester’s school play. It doesn’t have to be a big part, but I think you could really bring something fresh to the drama department in this school. You have a very creative mind, Forsythe.”

Jughead ran his hand over his face. This whole conversation had been painfully agonizing.

“You mean, the dance committee and the drama geeks need a hetero male to mix things up.” He said bluntly.

Mrs. Bean frowned as she pushed up her glasses and folded her hands in front of her.

“If you want to have a well-rounded high school experience to put on these applications, especially for a full ride to NYU, then you need to strongly consider taking part in these versatile activities. NYU is still your top choice, correct?” She asked as she leaned forward.

Jughead nodded.

NYU wasn’t just his top choice, it was the _only_ choice. If he couldn’t go there for college, then he wasn’t sure he even wanted to go to college. Going to NYU and living in New York City was what he had been dreaming about for as long as he could remember.

He knew he had no choice but to agree to what Mrs. Bean had suggested.

“Oh! I should try out too! It would be so fun to be in the school play together, Juggy!” Betty exclaimed as the two sat across from each other in the cafeteria during their lunch period.

“I don’t even know what the play is yet.” Jughead replied as he grumpily took a bite of his turkey sandwich.

Betty smiled knowingly.

“A little birdie by the name of Kevin Keller told me that it’s _West Side Story_. God, I _love_ that musical. It’s _so_ romantic.”

Jughead chuckled.

“Aren’t all the girls in that play Puerto Rican, though? From what I remember there weren’t any blonde white girls.”

Betty laughed.

“I think there might have been one or two, but regardless, I doubt they’ll discriminate. And they’ll need girls for the Jets ensemble. Come on, Jug. Being in West Side Story together would be _amazing_! I think…maybe…we kind of _need_ this. You’ve been so distracted lately, and this will be such a great way for us to spend some quality time with each other.”

The mention of his lack of focus on Betty and their relationship lately was something he hadn’t expected to hear her say. She hadn’t said it before and he hadn’t realized she had even been paying that close enough attention.

The guilt fell over him like a weighted blanket.

“Okay, Betts. Even though I’ve successfully avoided being in a school play for 18 years, I’ll do it. As long as I can play some guy that just sits on the roof of a car holding a switchblade or something while everyone else dances and sings.”

Betty smiled as he gave him a kiss on the lips.

“You need to try and step _out_ of character, Jughead. It’s the Jets and the Sharks, not the Serpents and the Ghoulies.”

Jughead had a hard time holding back the groan at how campy Betty could be. She had grown up and lived in such a pristine world. She had been through some shit, Jughead knew that, but it seemed like the world was made to protect her, to fight back the darkness at the edges just so she could stay bathed in light.

A lot of times he found it hard to identify with her. She often had a tendency to accuse him of being cynical and dreary when he just saw himself as being realistic and aware of what was out there. He had seen things that not many other kids his age had seen. He had experienced some unpleasant shit.

He had tried to talk to Betty about some of that dreary shit he’d witnessed, had been involved in, heard about, read about. But Betty was notorious for changing the subject after telling him that she didn’t want to be “down in the gloom” with him.

Jughead always let it go, not wanting to force Betty to think about unpleasant things if she didn’t want to. But there were so many times when he had wanted to lean on her instead of always being the strong one.

But it was one of those things in a relationship that you just swept under the rug, tried to forget about, to understand that not every relationship was perfect, and you couldn’t let that one little thing make or break what you shared with the person you loved.

Regardless, as time went on, there was a constant thought in the back of Jughead’s mind that told him that certain things would eventually come to a head and he and Betty would be forced to deal with some of their issues sooner than later.

And talking about their issues would hopefully come without Jughead ever having to tell Betty the truth about what had been going on between him and Veronica.

He didn’t know how in the world he could ever tell Betty the truth. He didn’t even want to imagine the look on her face, or what she would say, if and when he told her.

The worse thing was that he didn’t think this thing with Veronica would be ending anytime soon. And he knew it should make him feel horrible about himself, but he couldn’t stop, and he didn’t want to stop, and he didn’t want to feel bad about it.

He didn’t want to let go of how being with Veronica made him feel. He needed it as bad as he needed to keep it a secret until the dam finally broke. And he would just have to deal with that day when it came.

\---

 

“Mmm, you smell good. But you _always_ smell good.” Archie uttered quietly as he nuzzled Veronica’s neck.

They sat in Pop’s, having decided to grab dinner before their usual Saturday night date.

But Veronica didn’t dare make eye contact with Jughead as he sat across from them.

He was there to meet Betty, the couple also planning to have their pre-date dinner, and Archie had insisted that Jughead sit with him and Veronica while he waited.

It was a situation Veronica had not found herself in ever since she and Jughead had begun sleeping together, and she hoped to God it never happened again as she ran down a mental list of other places she and Archie could start having dinner at.

She used the melting milkshake in front of her as a reason to gently pull away from Archie’s grazing lips on her earlobe.

“Doesn’t she smell so _good_ , Jughead? You’ve smelled Veronica’s perfume before, right? She wears it every single day.”

Veronica sipped on her shake as her eyes darted over to where Jughead sat across from Archie, hoping the panic didn’t show on her face.

But Jughead kept the coolest of composure at the question, seemingly convinced that Archie was only attempting to get Jughead to say something nice about Veronica, or just trying to annoy him, and wasn’t asking because he knew anything about the many times Jughead had, in fact, smelled her perfume.

And in a _lot_ more intimate ways than Archie was aware.

Jughead knew that she wore the perfume not only on her neck but on the inside of her elbows and her inner thighs. He knew that smell of her perfume when it was mixed with her sweat soaked skin, mixed with Jughead’s date night cologne, and mixed with the cool night breeze that drifted behind her when he dropped her off at her apartment building.

Veronica had no doubt that Jughead knew that perfume so well that he even smelled it when she wasn’t around.

It would be on the seat of his father’s truck, on the blanket he kept for the times that their hookup sessions took place in the great outdoors, in the dark places down by Sweetwater River, or in their special spot in Evergreen Forest. It would be on his clothes that lay crumpled on the floor of the Lodge Mercedes town car that she was able to borrow every so often.

It was on his hands after he’d touched her, and on his gorgeous lips after he’d kissed between her thighs before making her fall apart into his incredibly skilled mouth.

Veronica smiled slyly to herself. Yeah, Jughead definitely knew how good she smelled. And now she wanted desperately to be alone with him as soon as they could both get away again.

“Can we talk about something other than your girlfriend’s scent?” Jughead asked, looking extremely irritated by his boredom with the couple.

Archie chuckled, enjoying the way he was playfully pissing off his best friend.

But it was the way Archie looked back and forth between his best friend and his girlfriend, that look of pure love for the two of them, that made Veronica suddenly feel that familiar wave of guilt that she felt every so often when she allowed herself to think about what she was doing behind Archie’s back.

And not only Archie’s back, but Betty’s back too.

She didn’t really know how Jughead felt about it, other than by the way he avoided making eye contact with Veronica as much as possible when they were around their significant others. Veronica and Jughead never spoke about Betty and Archie when they were alone together, doing the dark deeds that they hoped never saw the light of day. So, Veronica wasn’t sure how deep Jughead’s guilt went, but she could imagine it was right on par with how she felt.

The guilt wasn’t always there, but when it was, it was a force to be reckoned with. But the feeling still wasn’t strong enough to stop the runaway train that Veronica and Jughead were riding on.

Veronica didn’t know why the guilt wasn’t enough to make her stop. There was just something unexplainable about the way Jughead made her feel, and she couldn’t seem to give up that feeling. Even though she had made several attempts at trying to be strong.

And she even made another effort at saying no while she sat on her bed the following evening, her environmental science homework strewn in front of her, going over the study questions as she twirled a piece of her hair.

The familiar notification sound on her phone, the one that indicated it was Jughead, suddenly dinged.

Like a damn Pavlovian response to just the _sound_ of Jughead summoning her, immediately hit her all the way down to her core. She bit her bottom lip, wishing like hell she could just ignore him for once.

_My dad isn’t home. Went to go see his girl in Greendale. Come over._

Veronica read the text, but then put her phone back down beside her, and picked her pencil back up only to end up reading the same question in the textbook over and over again, unable to process the words, and all because her mind kept thinking about being able to be alone with Jughead in an actual bed. Which was a rarity for the two of them when it came to their covert hookups.

_No one will be home all night. Come on, Veronica…_

It had been 20 minutes. She had been strong for a whole 20 minutes before Jughead had texted her again.

_All night, alone in a bed, no one around, no one to hear us…I promise I’ll make you come so many times you’ll lose count in just the first hour alone…_

Veronica chuckled to herself at Jughead’s third text, his third attempt to get her to cave. And it was the third and final one because she was just too weak.

She could fully admit that she was just too damn weak when it came to Jughead Jones in a bed, naked, and waiting for her to join him.

She couldn’t resist texting him back.   

_Okay, Jones...I’m on my way._

 

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SO MUCH to all of you for your awesome feedback about if I should continue with this story! I’m definitely continuing it now. Your comments meant a lot to me and I hope you all liked this chapter :) please keep reading!


	3. Chapter 3

“Is it just me or did this storm come completely out of nowhere?” Jughead asked as he looked out the window of the trailer bedroom.

Veronica sighed.

“I can drive, Jug. It’s no big deal.” Veronica said as she searched around the bed for her bra.

She had only been at the Jones trailer for a couple of hours when the rain had begun to pound in heavy sheets on the tin roof. Thunder rattled the thin walls while a lighting strike knocked out the power completely.

Luckily, he had already lit candles before she’d arrived, setting the mood for a night of intense, torrid sex.

But he hadn’t expected such a turn in the weather at all, and he felt guilty that Veronica probably had no intention of staying any longer than she had to.

Jughead turned away from the window, shaking his head.

“There is no way in _hell_ I’m letting you drive in this torrential shit. Especially when we don’t know how far this blackout goes.”

Veronica chuckled.

“Wow, Jones…almost sounds like you care about me.”

He knew she was joking, but there was something about the way she said it that had unexpectedly caused his chest to feel a sharp sting. He wondered if she really thought he cared so little about her well-being. After all the caring his did when it came to making sure she came as much as humanly possible.

He watched her as she continued to dress, like she was still going to try and go home during such a hellish storm. And he couldn’t help but wonder if maybe she just wasn’t the least bit interested in spending any kind of time with him that didn’t involve sex.

“How about I get us a couple of beers and we just wait it out? I mean, your parents think you’re at Cheryl’s anyway, so why rush home?” He asked, feeling her out.

Jughead was well aware that he and Veronica had never been particularly close, but now that they had been so _physically_ close, he didn’t see why they couldn’t try to be better friends in between orgasms.

And if he had to be totally honest with himself, he kind of liked being around her, liked her sense of humor and insights. She was easy to talk to, which was the opposite of what he’d initially thought about her prior to sleeping with her.

Veronica looked at him and smiled devilishly.

“Aren’t ‘a couple of beers’ the reason why I’m here in the _first_ place?”

Jughead chuckled as he ran a hand through his sex tousled hair.

She was right. It had been a night of drinking that had led to their continuous hookups. But not just _any_ typical night of drinking. It had been New Year’s Eve.

Betty and Archie had both been out of town for part of the holiday break. Betty was off visiting grandparents while Archie was visiting his mother in Chicago, leaving their respective significant others to ring in the new year without them.

Veronica had been at a party at Cheryl Blossom’s house, but the cops had been called, sending everyone scattering in every direction. She had gotten a ride from one of the police officers to Pop’s, so she could sober up before heading home, while promising the officer that she would have someone responsible see to it that she got home safely.

Jughead had been hanging out at the Whyte Wyrm, far too sober for his liking so that he could be the designated driver for anyone needing a ride home, until he’d gotten a rumbling in his stomach for a Pop’s burger. He snagged a six pack from the bar before jumping into FP’s truck, fully intending on drinking at home to celebrate after he ate.

And it was at Pop’s where he ran into Veronica.

Probably due to their respective loneliness, the two had somehow ended up sitting on the tailgate of FP’s truck, talking and eating, and popping open the six-pack.

It was unseasonably warmer than usual that night, and the sound of fireworks being set off and lighting up the sky created an otherworldly glow that made the beer bottles sparkle in the night as Jughead and Veronica toasted to the new year.

“This is the first new years in a long time where I didn’t get my midnight kiss.” Veronica sighed, thinking out loud more than actually lamenting to Jughead.

And even though he knew it was probably just the beer talking, he wondered if she was also thinking what he was thinking.

“Well…we’re friends…kind of…and…it wouldn’t _really_ be wrong for us to give each other a kiss for the new year…”

Before he could even take the words back, or regret them, or think about what he had just suggested, Veronica’s hands were clutching the lapels of his Serpent jacket.

“You’d be okay with kissing me, Jughead?” She asked, a smirk on her pretty lips as her eyes searched his.

Jughead swallowed hard as he nodded yes.

“I…yeah…I would…Question is, would _you_ be okay with me kissing you?”

Veronica smiled as she nodded.

“Just as ‘kind of friends’, right?” She asked.

Jughead chuckled.

“Right.”

And then his lips were on hers, even though it was well past midnight, and even though it wasn’t anything like a kiss between two people who were barely friends.

Jughead’s heart had gone from a steady rhythm to thundering booms as loud as the celebratory fireworks while his mouth moved against Veronica’s. Forcing her lips to part so his tongue could wind around hers, hot and teasing, tasting a sweetness he’d never experienced before.

Electricity shot through his body in unrelenting waves as Veronica moaned into his mouth, and he wondered if she was enjoying it as much as she seemed to be or if she was just trying to be nice.

But then he remembered who he was kissing.

Veronica Lodge wouldn’t keep kissing him just to be nice. She was kissing him because she was just as fully into it as he was, and the thought made his cock immediately hard.

He knew he should pull away, to just pretend that the kiss was as innocent as he had initially intended it to be, but something inside him dared him to keep going, and to go further. He’d deal with the consequences later, but he was completely spellbound. He wanted more of Veronica Lodge. He wanted _all_ of Veronica Lodge.

“We should stop…” He murmured as his lips left her mouth so he could push back her dark hair, giving him total access to her delicate neck.

Veronica sighed as his tongue licked the soft skin below her earlobe before following up with a kiss.

“We should…” She replied, but her hands were tugging at the zipper of his jeans, as if asking him if he wanted what she was wanting.

And he answered by laying her down onto the bed of the truck, his hand disappearing underneath her sparkling party dress.

“Just tonight…never again…and we tell _no_ one.” She said in between soft whimpers while Jughead touched her.

Jughead nodded in agreement, but they both broke their pact within just days of that first night.

They hadn’t told anyone, that part was solid, but attempting to resist their curiosity when it came to each other was absolutely decimated.

Jughead kept wondering if it had all just been in his head. That the beer mixed with the unusually balmy night, the fireworks and loneliness, had all magically created the unbelievable sex with Veronica. Had it really been that good?

He had to find out for sure. And that’s what had led to that first text.

_Can we meet up somewhere?_

He held his breath as he waited for her reply. But her response was quick.

_Yes. Where?_

He exhaled slowly, his pulse racing, his heart slamming inside his chest.

If he told her to meet him someplace where no one would find them, somewhere private, away from prying eyes, then she would know he wanted to be with her again, that he couldn’t hold to their agreement.

_The east parking lot of Sweetwater River Park._

It was official. The only thing that was standing in the way of Jughead and his pride was his incessant need to fuck Veronica Lodge.

And after that second night together, Jughead knew that the first time hadn’t been a fluke. And now he was in deep shit. Saying no to sex with Veronica would not come nearly as easy as it was to make Veronica come.

 

\---

“Well, I’m convinced. It’s _never_ going to stop raining. The lights are _never_ coming back on.” Veronica said as she took a sip of her beer while she and Jughead sat on the small front porch of the trailer, watching far away lightening flash in the sky, counting the seconds until the sound of rolling thunder followed.

“Just stay the night with me, Veronica. I know it’s not how…this _thing_ with us usually goes…but, there are exceptions to the rule sometimes.”

He couldn’t see the look on Veronica’s face at his suggestion, it was too dark out on the porch. But he hoped she wasn’t utterly turned off by the thought.

“Okay, _okay_ …you’ve twisted my arm. But I’ll only stay on one condition.” She replied.

Jughead chuckled.

“What’s that?” He asked, curious.

“We have to engage in a real conversation with each other…you know…like we’re kind of friends.”

Jughead shook his head.

“Kind of friends? I’d say we’re _actual_ friends, at this point. I mean, only a _real_ friend would know about the apple shaped birthmark on your left hip, right?”

Veronica could feel her face get warm.

“Only my _closest_ friends would know about that.” She replied, glad that it was too dark for Jughead to see the blush in her cheeks.

“See? We’re… _very_ close friends.” He said as he gave her a wink.

Veronica laughed.

“Okay, fair enough. But, Jughead, I don’t even know what you want to do after we graduate. I don’t know if you want to go to college or not. I mean...consider me curious.”

She wanted to say more. She wanted to tell him that she wanted to know about him. She wanted to tell him that she cared about him, and for some reason, she felt a connection with him that went beyond just sex.

But she had no idea how Jughead would feel about any of that. The two had always seemed to put their guard up around each other. It was like they were the only two people who they couldn’t really hide from, so they had to make a conscious effort to keep that wall in place.

Being vulnerable was something that didn’t come easy for either of them. Being vulnerable to each _other_ was even harder.

She heard Jughead take a big breath, as if it was a huge effort for him to talk about himself. She could relate.

“Well…yeah…I _do_ want to go to college. In fact, I have my sights set on NYU. I really want to get into their journalism program.”

Veronica gasped.

“Are you _serious_? That’s where _I’m_ planning on applying! I’m hoping to get into the law school there.”

Jughead chuckled.

“So, no Riverdale University for us then?”

Veronica sighed.

“Hopefully not, but Mrs. Bean told me that I need to have more ‘interesting activities’ to put on my application. So, I have to join the dance committee and the school play this semester.”

Suddenly, Jughead burst into laughter.

“What?” Veronica asked with a chuckle at whatever it was that she’d said that had sparked his reaction.

“She told me the _exact_ same thing.” He replied, shaking his head.

The two laughed, wondering how many other students Mrs. Bean had suggested the same school activities to.

“So, are you going to try out for the play? Kevin told Betty that it’s going to be _West Side Story_.”

Veronica shrugged. She didn’t mind being in the limelight, to be on a stage, but she had wanted to keep a lower profile her senior year. She wanted to be taken more seriously, without people thinking she was always trying to be in the spotlight.

“I feel like I don’t really have a choice. I want to go to NYU more than anything, so I suppose I’ll do what I have to do.”

Jughead sighed.

“Yeah, me too. I just…I don’t think I can _ever_ get what I really want out of life if I don’t get out of this town.”

Veronica nodded in agreement.

“I like it here, but…I want more. I want to experience what’s out there beyond Riverdale. Growing up in New York was amazing, and I just want to get back there, but as an adult. And then, once I graduate with my law degree, get out into the world. See what’s beyond this little corner of the earth that I’ve been inhabiting for the past 18 years.” She told him before taking a long sip of her almost empty beer.

“Damn, Lodge…that’s _exactly_ how I feel…”

The two sat in silence, and Veronica knew it was because they were both processing the fact that they had a lot more in common than they’d ever let themselves admit to. But it wasn’t really much of a surprise to either of them.

There was an unspoken bond between them that they could ignore as much as they wanted to, but it was there.

Finally, after several minutes of silence, Veronica put down her empty beer bottle and stood up.

“So...maybe we should take advantage of the darkness. Blackouts are kind of sexy, you know.” She said, her voice thick with seduction as she walked back inside the trailer.

Jughead chuckled as he got up to follow her.

Back under the sheets with Jughead was where Veronica felt the most alive as he slid easily in between her slick folds, her core ready to take him all in.

“ _Fuck_ …you’re _so_ wet.” He groaned as he pinned her arms over her head, keeping her from being able to touch him while he kissed her breasts unrelentingly.

“Guess we should talk about our love for NYU more often.”

Veronica giggled in between soft yelps.

“I do find it _incredibly_ hot that you appreciate the dynamic excellence and esteem of our precious New York University.” She sighed, wishing like hell she could run her hands through Jughead’s hair while also enjoying his domination over her body.

Jughead smiled against her skin as his mouth traveled up to her collarbone, to her jawline.

“You think I’m hot?” He asked, his voice low, his breath warm on her ear, making her entire body tremble.

Veronica nodded.

“Yes…”

It was an admission she had never planned on making. She never felt she ever had to confirm anything for Jughead. She always got the sense that he just knew what she was thinking regardless of her words. But it made her happy to know how satisfied he was at her admission.

“I think you’re hot too.”

His words made her pulse race, but she didn’t get a chance to respond before Jughead’s mouth was on hers, his tongue plunging deep as his cock pounded hard into her. He released his grasp on her wrists so he could cup her face in his hand, his kiss unyielding.

There was a whole new energy between them now that they both knew there was a mutual attraction. Jughead knew she was into him for more than just sex.

It was a piece of the theoretical wall she had let crumble, and maybe she would regret it later, but for now, she couldn’t. Not when he was fucking her like this.

And not when she found herself wanting to know even more about who he was, and who it was that he wanted to be.

 

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

“You want me to do _what_?”

Jughead stared at Kevin Keller and the drama teacher, Ms. Lamay, as he stood on the stage of the Riverdale High auditorium.

“We’re asking _all_ the guys to sing a line from "Maria" _._ It was in the audition packet you were given last week, Mr. Jones.” Ms. Lamay said, irritated from having to repeat the same information far too many times that day.

Jughead sighed heavily as he looked over at Betty, who was sitting side-stage to watch Jughead perform his audition for the school's version of _West Side Story_.

“Jug, we know you’re trying out for one of the background Jets, but we still want to get a full audition to rule out all the non-singers.” Kevin tacked on, doing his best to defuse an already highly annoyed Jughead.

Jughead had been dreading his _West Side Story_ audition all week. Even with Betty’s help, there was no amount of preparation that would allow him feel ready for this. Betty had already given her audition, and she had done great. So had everyone else, even Archie, who had tried out just to show support for Veronica.

Veronica.

Veronica’s audition had been unbelievable. Ms. Lamay had asked her to sing "A Boy Like That" and it had given Jughead chills. And when her eyes had met his as she sang at the top of her lungs, Jughead couldn't stop from smiling at her.

They had a mutual disdain for having to try out for the musical, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t just killed it.

So when he looked out among the sporadically filled seats in the auditorium, and saw Veronica giving him a subtle thumbs up, he suddenly found himself belting out “ _Mariaaaa_! I just met a girl named _Mariaaaaa_!”

The looks of complete shock on everyone’s faces made him want to laugh, but instead, he kept singing.

And after he sang the last “Maria”, he stood there and waited for following instructions on what to do next.

The auditorium was dead silent as Ms. Lamay leaned forward to speak into her microphone.

“Thank you, Mr. Jones. That was… _wonderful_ …”

Jughead nodded as he rolled his eyes.

“Can I go now?”

After Ms. Lamay excused him from the stage, Betty jumped up and ran to him as he walked towards where she sat.

“Oh my _God_ , Juggy! That was _amazing_! I had no idea you could sing like _that_!”

Jughead shrugged.

“As long as I get put on the non-singer list, then that wasn’t quite as terrible as I thought it would be.”

But Betty shook her head.

“Jughead, if you wanted to get on the non-singer list, then you shouldn’t have sang like that. And you shouldn’t have memorized the whole song. You blew _everyone_ away!”

Jughead chuckled, only taking Betty’s compliments as being those of a sweet, supportive girlfriend who didn’t seem to realize that he didn’t care at all if he’d just made a total fool of himself. He was only in this play so that he could add it to his NYU application.

But when the cast list was posted later that day, he hadn’t expected to be at the very top of it.

“Take a deep breath, Jug.” Veronica said with a chuckle when she walked up to see Jughead with his hands on his beanie still staring at the cast list in complete disbelief.

“It can’t be _that_ bad.”

But Jughead turned to look at her, still unable to thoroughly understand what he’d just read.

“It’s _worse_. I’m Tony. They cast me as _fucking_ Tony!”

He glared at Veronica as she began to laugh.

“Well I’m not surprised.” She said as she continued to chuckle.

“You went all in on that audition.”

Jughead continued to scowl at her as he crossed his arms.

“You think you’re so funny, huh? Why don’t you take a look and see who they cast _you_ as.”

Veronica smirked as she walked up to the list, obviously thinking it couldn’t be any worse than who Jughead had been cast as.

But Jughead watched with total enjoyment as Veronica’s eyes widened.

“Holy _shit_ …” She gasped.

Jughead let out a laugh at her reaction, feeling satisfied that she hadn’t gotten off the hook anymore than he had.

“I’m Maria? _What_? I thought they wanted me for Anita! But _Maria_? Oh my God…”

Jughead nodded as he leaned against the wall.

“Yep. We’re playing lead roles in the play we didn’t even want to _be_ in. And not only that, we’re playing two people that are head over heels in love with each other. How’s _that_ for karma kicking us in the ass?”

\---

 

Jughead could feel Betty staring at him, waiting for him to acknowledge her while they sat in her bedroom.

Betty had been working on her paper for her French class while Jughead had been reading _The Iliad_ for his Greek history class.

He tried to seem completely engrossed in the book all so he could continue to ignore her, knowing that she was smarting for an argument.

His girlfriend had been visibly unhappy with being cast as one of the Jets girls, which meant she was in the ensemble with no speaking lines, while Jughead was playing the lead of Tony. And not only was he playing Tony, but her best friend won out the coveted spot of Maria.

“I wouldn’t be so bothered by it if I didn’t know how much you _loathed_ the idea of even trying _out_ for the play, let alone getting a major _role_ in it. I’ll hardly ever see you now. I hardly see you as it is...”

Betty had finally broken the awkward silence, and Jughead wished like hell he could just sink into the floor and disappear instead of have this conversation.

“I wasn’t _trying_ to get a major role, Betty. I have no idea what the _hell_ Ms. Lamay and Keller were fucking thinking by casting me as Tony. But regardless, I need this play for my application to help me get into NYU. You _know_ that, baby.”

But Betty continued to pout.

“And _Veronica_ is Maria? I mean, I get why they picked her, but…how are you two going to even be _convincing_? How can you even _bear_ the thought of having to kiss a girl you can barely stand being around in the first place?”

Jughead could tell she was fishing. She wanted him to agree with her, to be convinced that playing opposite Veronica would never work and that he should maybe even reconsider his role in the play.

But he would never admit to Betty, or anyone else, that knowing he would get to kiss and hold and sing to Veronica in the play, came with an intense thrill he hadn’t anticipated.

He had to kiss Veronica, in front of everyone, and it would be the only way he wouldn’t have to hide the desire he always felt for her. Everyone would just think they were acting.

There was something so deliciously scandalous about it, and he didn’t know why it made him even more inclined to do the play rather than try and get out of it. Veronica hadn’t tried to get out of it either, hadn’t tried to get her part changed or give up the role of Maria. Jughead knew that she was just as into the realization that the two of them would have to spend a whole hell of a lot of time together. Jughead was hard just thinking about it.

“It is what it is, babe. I’ll find a way to deal with how Veronica and I are going to pull off playing opposite each other as this shit takes shape. I’m not worried about how good we will be as Tony and Maria. Like I keep telling you, I only care about getting into NYU. So please stop stressing yourself out over it.” Jughead told her as he shut his book and moved closer to her.

If he was going to keep Betty from being suspicious about anything, he would have to convince her that there was nothing to be worried about in the first place.

“Or…you know…I can _help_ you to stop stressing.” He said as he carefully took out the hairband that held her ponytail in place and tossed it to the floor.

Betty gasped as his hands grabbed her waist, pulling her onto his lap.

“Mmm…yes, Juggy…” She sighed as he began to nip her neck with his teeth, licking the spots where he’d scratched her soft skin.

Jughead shut his eyes tightly, trying to get into being with his girlfriend, to enjoy the time he had with her before the whirlwind of rehearsals and dance committee meetings for prom planning. She was right, their time together would be very limited from that moment on.

He laid Betty down on her bed pillows and got up to turn off the lights, hoping it would help, but Betty was eyeing him curiously.

“What’s wrong, Jug?” She asked once he was back on her bed, his eyes still closed as he felt for the buttons on her sweater.

He shook his head.

“Nothing, babe…I just want a romantic night with you.”

It was a weak response, but he didn’t have a better one. At least, not in that moment. He couldn’t possibly tell Betty that all he could think about was how much he wanted to get being with her over with so he could get on his motorcycle and go to Veronica’s to “discuss the play” for the remainder of his night.

But later, when he had texted Veronica, he’d gotten a short reply.

_With Arch_

Jughead scowled at his phone as he sat in Betty’s driveway.

He looked up to see Betty’s bedroom light still on and got off his bike to go back in. Maybe he could muster up going round two with his girlfriend, and stay the night like she’d asked him to. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper were out of town for the weekend, and just maybe Betty could take his mind off of not getting to be with Veronica. But it was a big maybe.

Jughead sighed heavily as he walked back up to the front door, feeling terrible for using his own girlfriend to get his mind off of a girl who wasn’t his at all.

And in the wee hours of the morning, when Jughead’s phone vibrated, he smiled to himself while Betty slept soundly next to him.

_Sorry…I had to do some ego mending. Archie isn’t too thrilled with not getting into the play._

Jughead chuckled quietly to himself, he knew Archie hadn't taken the news well when he'd found out he hadn't been cast in any of the lead roles, nor supporting ones. He had even gone as far as to say that Ms. Lamay was still pissed at him from when he'd gotten into a shoving and punching match with Reggie Mantle during the school's performance of _Peter Pan_ their sophomore year. The two jocks had played lost boys and had taken the playful teasing during one of their scenes a bit too far, virtually ruining the whole play. When Jughead thought about it, it made sense that Ms. Lamay wouldn't ever want to cast Archie in a Riverdale High production ever again.

_I get it, Betty isn't taking being relegated to the background very well either. Where are you?_

He waited for her response, and stifled his laughter with his hand when he read her reply text.

_Look out the window_

Jughead quickly rushed over to the window that looked right into Archie’s bedroom, and there stood Veronica, looking as gorgeous as always and wearing nothing but a pair of red panties.

She waved at him, smiling from ear to ear at having surprised him, not only by being right next door while staying the night with Archie, but for not having anything on, which was a merciless tease.

Jughead’s heart began to pound so hard, he was afraid the sound might wake up Betty.

_Damn…are you trying to kill me, Lodge?_

He texted to her as his other hand went to his quickly hardening cock without even thinking about it.

He smiled when he saw her laugh at his text and he wished more than anything that it wouldn’t be too damn risky to try and sneak out so they could meet up in the gazebo in the Cooper’s back yard. But not only would it be too risky, it could be catastrophic if anyone saw them.

_Goodnight, Jones…sleep tight xo_

She replied before blowing him a kiss.

Jughead sighed as he lay back down in Betty’s bed, his cock still hard as stone. He looked over to see that Betty was still in a deep sleep. He didn’t have the heart to wake her, or to go through the effort it took to make love to her while trying to not think about Veronica.

But he couldn’t get the view of the naked, raven-haired beauty out of his mind as he lay there, and he knew there was only one thing he could do to get rid of the unrelenting throbbing that Veronica had caused.

He groaned softly as he began to work his hand up and down his large shaft, licking his lips as he thought about Veronica and how good it would feel to be fucking her at that moment.

If only it could be the same with Betty.

And it had been at one time, but he wasn’t sure what had changed.

No matter how hard he had tried to still feel the same craving for Betty that he’d once had, the more he found himself losing the battle, and craved someone else instead.

 

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

"Thank you all for showing up on time, for the most part." Ms. Lamay said as she looked out at her cast for Riverdale High's version of _West Side Story_.

The students who had been cast in speaking roles were sitting in the school theater seats while the students who would be doing the backup dancing and singing were on stage with the Rivervixen coach and music teacher, and Veronica quickly noticed the look of irritation on Betty's face over not being down in the seats. She had been vying for the role of Velma, a featured role, and one that would allow her to spend some quality time with Jughead.

But it hadn't worked out that way. Betty had been placed in the ensemble, as one of the members of the Jets. 

Veronica knew she should probably feel guilty for having scored a lead role, but she didn't. Playing Maria to Jughead's Tony was something she hadn't even imagined happening, but something about it made her feel an edgy type of excitement, though she tried her best to hide it.

She hadn't wanted to be in this play, but the fact that she had to be in it with Jughead, knowing how he felt about being in the play too, made her feel a comradery that she knew she would really need if she was going to make it through the next few weeks.

"As you all know, we only have exactly _three_ weeks to get this production tight and as professional as possible. That means, you all need to show up to _every_ single rehearsal or face being replaced by your understudies. That also means that you need to practice your lines on your own time. I highly suggest...actually, let's make it _mandatory_ , that my leads make time to get together to work on the scenes you share together."

Veronica couldn't control the involuntary way her eyes shot over to Jughead, who was sitting in the next row over, and he was looking at her too, a hint of a smile on his lips.

She suddenly felt an intense weakness in her core. It wasn't often he looked her in the eyes like that in public, and if anyone was paying close enough attention, they would have witnessed the heat in that look. It was the kind of look he typically saved for that moment right before he shoved his throbbing erection into her. It was the look she thought about right before she would text him to meet up. It was the look he’d given her when she had met up with him at Archie’s bedroom window while Archie had been sleeping, making her want desperately to have Jughead with her right then and there.

But very soon, Jughead and Veronica would get to spend a lot of time together. More time then the kind that they had only been able to spend late at night.

There wouldn’t be any need to hide, because now they would be spending time together under the guise of rehearsing their roles as Maria and Tony. The whole thing was ridiculously provocative, and even though Veronica knew it was wrong, she felt a devilish giddiness at the thought of what she and Jughead could do with all that time alone.

“Now, I need my Tony and Maria to start working on their chemistry. You two have a few kissing scenes and we’ll need you to both make it look convincing and not awkward. Same thing with my Bernardo and Anita. I need you both to do the same while I work with the rest of the feature cast members for a bit.”

Mrs. Lamay shoved two scripts at Veronica and Jughead with their scenes highlighted in yellow and pointed to the open area by the stage steps.

“That’s your practice space. Make yourselves comfortable with _it_ , and with each _other_. I want my Tony and Maria to be on _fire_ come opening night. It’s just one of several reasons why I chose the two of you for these roles. You both just have… _something_ …something _very_ special.” She said excitedly, her green eyes sparkling as she looked back and forth between her two leads.

Veronica smiled awkwardly at her thirty-something-year-old drama teacher who always wore her red hair in a long braid and a small, gold ring in her nose, but couldn’t bring herself to look at Jughead. She suddenly felt guilty, as if having undeniable, unexplainable chemistry with her boyfriend’s best friend was completely her fault and not just how the stars in the universe had aligned it to be.

“I strongly encourage you both to get to know each other, and you must spend time together, run lines together as often as you can. Yes, I get it that this is just a high school production, but some of the faculty from NYU will be here and I want the Riverdale High School drama department to blow their minds!”

Jughead and Veronica looked at each other again, their eyes wide with surprise at the mention of NYU. Now there was even more riding on their involvement in the school play, and a whole other reason why they needed to be as convincing as possible when they were up on that stage together, the spotlight shining on them both.

\---

 

“I’m sorry you have to do this play, and that you have to do it with Ms. Lamay on your ass about making sure it’s perfect. She must be trying to get a job at NYU or something.” Archie said as he and Veronica sat in his truck at the Twilight Drive-In, cuddled up and watching _Die Hard_.

It wasn’t the movie Veronica had particularly wanted to see, but Archie had a deep connection with the 80’s action flick. It was the first movie that Archie had ever seen in a movie theater with his dad, and even though he had seen it dozens of times, he still never got tired of it.

And it was the sort of thing that Veronica had, at one time, found endearing about Archie Andrews. And she indulged his sentimentality, no matter how much it wasn't her thing. But lately, it just wasn’t as cute. In fact, a lot of the things that she had once thought were so charming and adorable about Archie seemed to have lost their luster over recent weeks.

“It’s fine, honey…in fact, it’s probably a _good_ thing for people at NYU to be there. Maybe they’ll put in a good word with admissions for me. I mean, if my performance lives up to NYU expectations.”

Archie shrugged.

“Yeah…true…but, Ronnie, are you still so _sure_ you want to go to NYU? What are you going to do if you don’t get in? I know it's pretty competitive.”

Veronica frowned as she moved away from Archie and looked at him, not sure why he was suddenly attempting to put a damper on what she had been dreaming about for as long as she could remember.

“If I’m sure of _anything_ , Archie, it’s that I want to go to NYU. And I’m trying to be positive while also doing whatever is necessary to ensure that I have real shot of getting in. If I don’t get in, I’ll keep applying until I do. _And_ I’ve already told you this before, so why are you asking me again?”

Archie put up his hands defensively, but he didn’t look her in the eye.

“Relax, baby…I’m just trying to be realistic. I know you want NYU, but what if you’re doing all these extra things at school all for something that might not happen? What’s so awful about going to Riverdale University like me and Betty?”

Veronica eyed her boyfriend suspiciously. There was some sort of purpose to why he was making such an issue out of the play and the dance committee and the people from NYU who would be in attendance at opening night of  _West Side Story_.

“There’s nothing wrong with Riverdale University except for the fact that it’s in _Riverdale_ , and I don’t want to _stay_ in Riverdale. I want to experience other places, and that starts at NYU.”

Archie let out a frustrated sigh.

“I get it, Veronica, but what I _don’t_ get is why you won’t talk about what happens with us when, _if_ , you leave. You avoid the topic every single time I bring it up. But I need to know. I need to know if you have _any_ interest at all in spending your life with me.”

Veronica scoffed as she moved to the other side of the truck cab and crossed her arms over her chest. She couldn’t hold back what came out of her mouth.

“Archie, we’re only 18. I have no _idea_ who I’m going to spend my life with. I might not even get _married_. How can you expect me to make a decision like that? How can you expect that I’ll be the last girl you are ever with?”

She couldn’t believe she was saying the words that had at one time only been thoughts, thoughts she had tried to bury.

Archie was right, she had avoided talking about their future relationship once college became the next chapter in their lives. She hadn’t wanted to face the fact that things between them would change. It was unavoidable. But she had loved him too much to be that brutally honest with him. But now, here she was, laying it all out for him, knowing it would crush him.

Archie rolled down the driver side window and tossed out the bucket of popcorn before starting up the truck, obviously ready for their date to be over.

“I expected it because I love you, Veronica. I wanted you to be the _last_ one. The _only_ one. Was that really such a ridiculous dream for me to have? Is it any more ridiculous than you wanting to move back to New York to start your _real_ life?”

They were rhetorical questions, she knew that, so she didn’t answer him, and there was nothing she could say that would make things better in that moment. She couldn’t make empty promises, that just wasn’t her.

But she didn’t want to go home yet as Archie pulled up in front of the Pembrooke after a ride full of silence. And she didn't say anything as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before getting out of the truck.

She sighed at the way his tires screeched as he peeled off down the road back towards his house.

Veronica knew things weren’t over yet. She knew Archie too well. He would hold onto her for as long as he could, as tight as he could, until the day he would have no choice but to let her go. She couldn’t do anything to add insult to injury, not yet.

So instead, she gave into the one thing that always gave her everything she didn’t know she needed, and pulled out her phone from her purse.

_Hey. You busy?_

\---

 

“You know once Archie gets his mind set on something, he’s incredibly stubborn. But you also know he supports you regardless. Even if it doesn’t seem like it at first. You just have to give him time to let it sink in. But you were right to be honest with him, Veronica. He needed to know where you stand.”

Veronica nodded as she lay in the back of FP’s truck, staring up at the stars, wrapped up in a blanket with Jughead.

It felt like it had been forever since she’d been with him, and they had gone completely wild on each other after they’d parked the truck in their usual spot up in the hills of Evergreen Forest. Jughead had ripped her panties off in a frenzy before bending her over the tailgate of the truck. He took her from behind, pushing himself into her so deeply that she could barely catch her breath.

“Fuck me… _oh_ _god_ … _fuck_ me, Jughead…”

She heard his low, sexy chuckle right before he smacked her on her bare ass, making her yelp and giggle with how much she had needed such hot, carnal treatment. To not be handled gently and carefully, like a precious jewel that had to be kept locked away, never allowed shine in the light.

And now as they lay in the truck, both not ready to call it a night yet, she felt an incredible sense of ease within her heart and mind.

“How does Betty feel about you going to NYU?” She asked, curious as to how he and Betty were dealing with being apart in the fall.

Jughead sighed as he looked up at the night sky.

“She won’t even acknowledge it. I mean, I know Archie is being a dick about you going to New York, but at least he is _talking_ to you about it. Betty won’t even do _that_. And I don’t know if it’s because she doesn’t want me to leave Riverdale or if it’s because she doesn’t think I’ll actually get into NYU and go through with moving to the city.”

He shook his head, obviously feeling defeated with Betty’s inability to talk to him about his plans for his future.

“Jug, I’m _sure,_ without a doubt, that she believes in you. That she believes you can get in and that you have the guts to leave Riverdale, but just like with Archie, they don’t like the thought of being left behind, of things not working out in the long run. It sucks and it hurts but we can’t base our big life decisions, like where we go to college, on whose feelings it hurts. I hate it for you and Betty just as much as I hate it for me and Archie. But…what can we do?”

Jughead nodded in agreement.

“You’re completely right. But what if the situation were reversed. Would you be upset if Archie decided to leave Riverdale to go to college?”

Veronica thought for a minute. She hadn’t really put herself in Archie’s shoes, she had been far too focused on her own goals and dreams and how to achieve them.

“I think so…yeah. But I’d like to think I’d understand and try to just make the most of the time we have together until we both have to move on to the next chapter. I hate how cliché that sounds, but…I think that’s how I would handle it. At least, I hope so.”

She wanted to ask Jughead the same question, but she had a good feeling that he would likely tell her the same exact thing.

“So, you don’t think you and Archie are going to try to make things work long distance?” He asked quietly, after several moments of silence.

Veronica shook her head no.

“I don’t think it would be fair to either of us if we tried to do that. I care about Archie _so_ much, and I love him, but I don’t feel as if he’s the love of my life or anything. I mean, if he was, would I be here with _you_ right now? I have to be honest, Jughead, when it comes to whoever I end up with in the future, I need it to be someone that satisfies _all_ aspects of what I need in someone. When it comes to sex…Archie is great…but…”

Her voice trailed off, she didn’t think Jughead wanted to hear about her sex life with his best friend.

“Does that make me a horribly selfish person?” She asked with a chuckle.

Jughead shook his head.

“No, Veronica...not at all. There’s nothing wrong with knowing what you need and wanting those needs to be met. And sometimes, you have no choice but to think with your head and not your heart. I know how much you care about Archie, but I also know that being realistic is important to you. It’s important to me too. And how you feel about you and Archie is _exactly_ how I feel about me and Betty. I love her, but…lately…when I’m with her…making love to her…I find myself thinking about you. I shut my eyes and think of you just so I can get through being with my own girlfriend. _Now_ who is a horribly selfish person?”

Veronica chuckled.

“Still me. And here’s why. I can _barely_ bring myself to even _have_ sex with Archie because of how much I hate having to fake orgasms. Even thinking of _you_ doesn’t help. Because…you know…you and Archie are working with _very_ different equipment. Different as in… _size_. Size matters. What can I say?”

Suddenly, Jughead burst into laughter as he covered his face with his hand.

“Oh God, I did _not_ need to know that about Archie.” He said, embarrassed by the new information he had never really wanted to be informed of.

“Sorry, but it’s true.” She said teasingly.

It felt good to talk to Jughead like this. To be so open and honest and unafraid to say whatever came to her mind. She realized that she didn’t really have anyone else in her life that she could talk to like this. Not even Betty or Archie, because there were things she could never tell either of them without hurting them both.

But with Jughead, there was a safety there. She knew he would never tell any of her secrets to anyone. Even the secrets that didn’t involve their relationship with each other. Whether it was right to be talking to Jughead about her relationship with Archie or not, there was no one else she felt more comfortable talking to about it. And no one else whose feedback she valued more when it came to what she shared. Being so open with someone had never come easy for her, but it was easy with Jughead.

Veronica suddenly realized that she had found a true friend in Jughead Jones, and it was a friendship that she would hope to still have if they both actually did manage to get into NYU.

And she found herself just briefly wondering how that friendship might flourish with Riverdale in their rearview.

 

To be continued...


	6. Chapter 6

“Stop trying to make me laugh!” Veronica yelped as she and Jughead stood face to face, scripts in hand, in their spot by the stage steps. The spot that Ms. Lamay had deemed “Tony and Maria Land”.

Jughead grinned from ear to ear.

“What are you talking about? I’m just standing here taking this very seriously.” He said as he peered at his script with a mock intense look on his face.

He and Veronica had been rehearsing their first scene for the past hour and they’d barely gotten through the first few lines due to being unable to stop nervously laughing every time they looked at each other.

Ms. Lamay glared at the two of them, obviously quite irritated with the lack of fire she was looking for.

“You two are very cute, but you’re _far_ too awkward with each other. You both need to try and relax. Loosen up. Your homework is to practice somewhere that’s familiar and comfortable to you both.”

It was all Jughead could do to not burst into laughter. Ms. Lamay had no idea just how far from awkward he and Veronica really were when they were alone. But being around other people, out in the open, was different.

The anxiousness stemmed from how good they had gotten at being around each other in secret, at night, with no one around. Now that they were in the school play together, forced to get close based on the characters they were playing, it was like they not only had a literal spotlight on them but a figurative one as well. And they feared that everyone one would know what had been going on between them just by seeing them near each other.

But Jughead also knew that he and Veronica could use the awkwardness to their advantage, to make people think they really were uncomfortable playing Tony and Maria with each other. It could actually prevent anyone from being suspicious about his and Veronica’s little secret.

Jughead was just about to suggest that he and Veronica go somewhere to rehearse privately when all of a sudden the main double doors of the auditorium opened and in walked Archie and Betty.

Jughead’s heart fell. He was supposed to take Betty to a movie after rehearsal and Veronica was supposed to go to the Andrew’s house for dinner that night.

He looked over at Veronica, and he could tell that she was thinking the same thing. They had reached the beginning of the constant stream of disappointments they would be causing their significant others.

“What? Why do you look like your dog just died?” Betty asked once she’d reached Jughead and Veronica’s rehearsal space.

She hadn’t had ensemble practice that day and instead, had been waiting patiently in the Blue and Gold office for Jughead to finish up. He already felt guilty for that, on top of feeling guilty for the date he was about to cancel.

“Betty, I…” But he didn’t even have a chance to finish the sentence before Ms. Lamay cut him off.

“Mr. Jones and Miss. Lodge, I expect you _both_ to work hard on your scenes together. It will mean putting your social lives on hold until I see some improvement by next rehearsal.”

The four friends said nothing as Ms. Lamay looked at each of them with the sternest of expressions on her attractive face. She meant business and none of them wanted to object to the law she had just laid.

“Mr. Andrews and Miss. Cooper, I sure hope you don’t try to make it difficult for the two of them. I know you date my leads, but that doesn’t give you the right to sabotage my production. Understand?”

Archie and Betty both nodded, but the matching scowls they wore on their faces made it clear that they weren’t happy about what they’d just been told.

“We’re sorry, guys. But Lamay is so crazy stressed about impressing everyone, especially the NYU faculty that are coming to watch. She’s become a tad unhinged.” Veronica said once Ms. Lamay had moved on to where the couple playing Anita and Bernardo were running lines.

“ _That’s_ for sure.” Betty grumbled, a pout on her face.

“So, I guess this means no dinner with my parents tonight?” Archie asked as he eyed Veronica and Jughead, a hint of distrust in his tone.

Veronica shrugged.

“Jug and I…we have to practice. We’ve barely made any headway today. But I can come by later? For dessert?” She asked as she gave Archie a wink.

A smile tugged at the corner of Archie’s mouth, understanding Veronica's innuendo when it came to her offer of dessert.

Something about the smug look on Archie’s face gave Jughead an intense need to get Veronica out of that auditorium and to his trailer, currently empty due to FP working late that night, and feel the satisfaction of knowing he was the only guy who could really give Veronica what she wanted. That Archie needn’t feel so cocky when his cock wasn’t what made Veronica moan uncontrollably until there were tears in her eyes and her body was shuddering from release.

That was the kind of dessert Veronica deserved and wouldn't be getting that night with Archie.

But he held back, and instead, promised Betty they could take a raincheck on their date to the Bijou.

“Do you feel guilty?” Veronica asked Jughead once they had arrived at the Jones trailer, their scripts forgotten on the kitchen table as they headed to the bedroom.

She was breaking their rule by asking, but they had already broken almost all of their unspoken rules so far.

Jughead sighed.

“Yes and no, and I have no idea how to explain it.” He replied as he took off his t-shirt and unzipped his jeans.

His eyes barely left Veronica’s body as she undressed too, neither one needing to discuss what they were about to do when they were supposed to be rehearsing. But the pull was too strong, and the thirst had to be quenched. It was just the way things were.

Being alone together meant sex, and having to transition to scene partners was going to be challenging.

“I know exactly what you mean. You feel bad about hurting them, but you’re just trying to live your life and take advantage of that one really gratifying thing that keeps you somewhat grounded within the limbo that we’re in until the next phase of our lives.” She replied as she climbed onto his lap once he’d sat down on the edge of the bed.

He swept her hair off of her shoulders as he gazed at her. When had they gotten so good at talking to each other? At understanding each other so openly?

It had always been another unspoken thing between them, but cracks of light were starting to peek through the dark, enigmatic relationship they had created with each other. It was dangerous and risky, and Jughead was enjoying every second of it.

He’d never thought of himself as an adrenaline junkie, but lately, every time he was with Veronica, the surge of adrenaline he felt was intoxicating, addicting.

“I’m the one gratifying thing in your life right now?” He asked with a soft chuckle as his lips brushed hers.

Veronica giggled nervously. He knew she had exposed herself more than she had planned to, but her vulnerability towards him was endearing. He liked being a light in her life. It made him feel a sense of acceptance he had never experienced with anyone else before.

She didn’t answer him as she began to rock her body on top of his, his cock buried inside of her, his hands gripping her waist.

He placed gentle kisses along her collarbone, each one deliberate and meaningful. She was right. This was the gratifying space in his life. As much as he loved Betty and had leaned on her and trusted her, the dissonance that had developed between them had created an undeniable fissure in their relationship. The different plans for their futures had begun to pry open that fissure even more. And now he found himself beginning to lean on someone else.

He knew there was no good excuse for what he was doing with Veronica. There was no good excuse for the lies and betrayal. But if he had to go down in flames at some point, he was glad he’d go down in flames with her.

He knew that because of the person she was, they would rise back up with each other’s help.  And maybe even rise back up as something different. 

\---

 

“This isn’t just a prom, you guys…this is _the_ prom of our _senior_ year. It needs to be epic. It needs to exceed _everyone’s_ expectations.”

It was a week later as Veronica stifled a yawn while she sat in the middle of the high school gymnasium in a metal folding chair among many other metal folding chairs that were positioned in a circle around the Riverdale High school crest painted on the lacquered wood floor.

Kevin had called the first meeting of the prom portion of the dance committee, and he had been in the throes of his speech as to why their senior prom was the most crucial, defining moment of their high school career.

Veronica didn’t necessarily agree with that, and apparently neither did Jughead as he sat across from her, his elbows resting on his thighs as he propped up his head in his hands.

He looked just as bored as she felt.

“I need all of you to give as much of your time as possible. We have decorations to make, playlists to create, and food to pick from the caterer menu. The theme is everything! And this year’s theme, in honor of our school play, is 1950’s Manhattan!”

Veronica chuckled as Jughead’s eyes met hers.

“And who better to have on our prom committee than the two leads of Riverdale’s production of _West Side Story_ , Veronica and Jughead!”

Everyone’s eyes were suddenly on her and Jughead, looking back and forth at the two of them, eyes wide as if they were seated in the presence of royalty. The only person completely disinterested being Sweet Pea, who was only on the committee to get out of having to serve two weeks of after school detention for smoking in between classes in the boys locker room.

Kevin initiated the clapping, and Veronica followed suit as Jughead got up and bowed.

They glanced at each other, a secretive smile on both their lips. They would have a good laugh about this later.

“Now, I have already divided you all up into committee groups. Ethel, Cheryl, and Toni will be in charge of food. Me, Fangs, and Moose will be in charge of decorations and invitations and promo. Jughead, Sweet Pea and Veronica, you will be in charge of music. 1950’s music _only_. Do your research. I want top hits from 1957 and before. Make a playlist and test it on the gymnasium sound system. You’ll also have to run a lighting program to go along with the music.”

Veronica actually found herself feeling delighted about her job assignment. She loved oldies music, had been listening to it ever since she was a little girl.

“I’d sit for hours by my mom’s record player with all of her old albums spread out across the floor. She had inherited them from my abuelita. I don’t do it as much anymore, but now I have a good excuse to pull those albums out again. Especially Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, The Platters…”

Her voice trailed off as she thought back to all of those lovely songs, how they would lightly crackle underneath the record player needle. There had been a comfort in all of those hours spent laying on the floor of the den of the apartment the Lodge family had lived in before moving to Riverdale.

She missed those days more than she had realized until that moment.

“Sounds really wonderful, Veronica.” Jughead said, a tenderness in his smile as they sat on the bleachers of the gymnasium.

“Yeah. Great. You two pick music and I’ll handle the sound system and lighting. Now, are we done here?”

Jughead looked up at his friend and fellow Serpent.

“Have big plans or something, Pea?” Jughead asked with a chuckle.

Sweet Pea shrugged.

“If you call winning the pool tourney tonight at the Whyte Wyrm big plans, then yes.” Sweet Pea replied, smiling confidently.

“You guys should come check it out later.”

Veronica’s eyes widened.

“I’ve never been to the Whyte Wyrm before.” She replied anxiously.

Not only did her father absolutely loathe the Southside Serpents, he had also forbade her from ever associating with them, much less, actually going anywhere near their main hangout in the form of the biker bar.

“First time for everything, Lodge.” Jughead replied with a sly grin.

“Plus, Hog Boy has an old jukebox in the storage room. I bet we could find some golden oldies on that dusty old thing.”

Veronica sighed heavily.

“Oh God…what would I wear though?” She asked with an uneasy laugh.

Sweet Pea looked her up and down, a suggestive smile on his face.

“Something tight. Something leather.”

\---

 

Jughead swallowed hard when his eyes landed on Veronica, walking into the Whyte Wyrm on the arm of Fangs, who had met her out front in the parking lot on their way into the tournament.

She was a total smoke show in a short, gray leather skirt and a black corset top. She had stashed away her pearls for the night, opting for a small, silver locket around her neck instead.

It was a version of Veronica Lodge he had never seen before. She should have looked out of place, but she fit right in, except for the fact that every single set of male eyes in the whole bar were glued to her.

Even when she tried to look like everyone else, she still stood out in any room she entered.

“Holy _shit_. Would you look at _that_ …” Sweet Pea said, a smile in his voice as he walked up next to his friend.

“Looking a bit slack-jawed, Jones.”

Jughead shook his head no.

“No, I’m just keeping my eyes peeled for anyone that might try something. Archie is my best friend, and when he’s not around, it’s _my_ job to protect her.”

Sweet Pea raised his eyebrow discerningly.

“Lots of conviction in that statement, Jug. I’ve never heard you say _anything_ like that before about Ronnie Lodge. You sure you ain’t trying to move in on your boy’s girl? You and the princess have been spending loads of time together lately.”

Jughead looked away from Veronica only long enough to glare at his fellow Serpent.

“Mind your own business, Pea. Don’t you have a tournament to win?”

Sweet Pea chuckled.

“Yes I do. See ya later, Loverboy.”

Jughead exhaled, realizing he’d been holding his breath, on edge from Sweet Pea’s comments. His stalwart façade of never letting anyone see how attracted he was to Veronica was breaking. He had to be more careful, especially when there were no Archie and Betty around as a buffer.

Serpents weren’t ones to gossip, but Fangs and Sweetpea and Toni were apart of the Riverdale student body, and he never knew what could be misinterpreted.

“Hey!” Veronica chirped once she had reached the bar Jughead had been leaning against, trying to look casual and not like he was completely shook by her presence in the only place he had never imagined ever seeing her in.

“Hey…you actually showed up.” He said, unable to hide his smile at how relieved she looked to see him.

It was a look he’d never expected to ever be on the receiving end of when it came to her, and he wasn't quite sure why it felt so good.

“Yeah…I wanted to…is that okay?” She asked, looking unsure.

Jughead nodded emphatically.

“Yes! Absolutely! I didn’t mean…I mean…I’m glad you came. I’m…I’m glad you’re here.”

He was stumbling over his words, and he felt like a complete idiot. Somehow he lacked the confidence standing in front of her rather than when he was with her in bed.

Veronica chuckled.

“That’s a relief. I was a nervous wreck the whole way over. I wondered if they would even let me through the front door. I know my father hasn’t been particularly easy on you guys…and that’s an understatement.”

Jughead shook his head.

“You’re not your father, Veronica. You’re welcome here. And your father would be too if he would just try to understand the Serpents and what we stand for. Things have changed a lot since my father turned a new leaf as the leader. We’re becoming more legitimate, giving of our time in a more upright capacity, so to speak.”

Veronica nodded, smiling.

“I know. I checked out your Serpent chapter website. It was impressive, I must say. And I left the browser open to the website on daddy’s laptop in his office. So, who knows…maybe he’ll check it out too and have a change of heart.” She replied slyly.

Jughead couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’re pretty devious, Veronica. Very clever of you.”

Veronica grinned proudly.

“Even if it doesn’t change his mind about you guys, I at least find total glee in knowing the discovery will piss him off.”

The two were quiet for a moment as the bar buzzed with excitement around them. The tournament was about to begin.

“So…with everyone so preoccupied with pool, it’s kind of the perfect time to check out the jukebox…if you want.”

Veronica’s eyes twinkled as she nodded.

“Sounds great…no pun intended.”

Jughead chuckled as he motioned for her to follow him.

He headed towards the back of the bar and down a short hallway past the bathrooms before coming to a solid wood door with an old brass doorknob on it that looked like it was about to fall off any second.

“This door is so pathetically old, it’s not even locked.” Jughead told her as they entered the dark room before Jughead flicked on the light switch.

An old billiard table light hung from the ceiling, casting a dim glow throughout the small storage space.

“That could make for some daring fun.” She replied mischievously.

Jughead bent his head, hiding the blush in his cheeks as he closed the door behind them, and before he could reply to her suggestive comment, she was yelping with excitement at the sight of the jukebox that had been pushed up against the far wall of the room.

“It’s gorgeous! Much older and bigger than the one at Pop’s!” She squealed as she pressed her hands up against the glass.

“It’s filthy. Let me get a towel to wipe it off.”

But Veronica shook her head.

“No, it’s okay. There’s something kind of romantic about the dust. Like it's been frozen in time as the world kept on turning.”

Jughead chuckled.

“Dust is romantic? I think you could put a lot of maids out of a job for saying shit like that.” Jughead replied teasingly as he looked around for the plug.

Veronica was still wiping off the dust on the front so she could see what selections were available inside the old machine when Jughead was finally able to plug it in, bringing the jukebox to life, lighting up like a popup carnival in the middle of the night.

“Oh!” She gasped as the warm glow bounced off of her cheeks, making Jughead’s pulse suddenly begin to race.

He wanted to do things to her against that jukebox, but first, he handed her two quarters.

“50 cents goes a long way. You can select up to five songs. Go for it.” He said with a smile.

It made him incredibly proud that he could bring such a complete thrill to Veronica. He never would have pegged her for loving such an underrated genre of music, but it was just another thing he had learned about her that made him appreciate who she really was, who she was allowing him to see.

He watched her as she sorted through the catalog that Hog Boy had put together over the years. Jughead knew he had decided to put the jukebox in storage after it had almost been demolished in a bar fight several years earlier. It was sad that the beautiful machine was hidden away, collecting dust, but getting to have it to themselves, just him and Veronica, made him feel a warmth pooling inside his chest.

“Oh! The Flamingos! I love this song. Have you heard of this song? It’s called ‘I Only Have Eyes for You.’ It would be perfect to play at the dance.” She said excitedly as she put the quarters in through the slot and selected A9 on the keypad.

“I’m not sure I’m familiar with it, but I trust you.” Jughead replied as the music began.

It was a slow song, making him immediately think of a hot, summer night under a full moon, music drifting across Sweetwater River, stars twinkling in the sky, love in the air. He was suddenly taken back to a time he didn’t even know but could fully imagine.

“It has a magical vibe to it, doesn’t it?” Veronica asked as she rested her cheek against the glass of the jukebox, her eyes closed.

She was so lovely, so beautiful, there was only one thing Jughead could do in that moment.

He took her hand in his.

“May I have this dance?” He asked quietly as he gently brought her to him.

Veronica’s eyes popped open, a demure smile on her face as she looked up at him, allowing herself to be held by him, her arms finding their way around his neck as his own arms circled her waist.

Their eyes were locked onto each other’s as they danced slowly, swaying side to side, an energy between them that was so unreal there were no words to describe it.

Outside that room, the bar was full of yelps and shouts of excitement, the pool tournament well underway, beer flowing, rock music blaring, Serpents dancing and laughing. But inside that storage room, Jughead and Veronica were the only two people in the world as the soft music played, the light of the jukebox casting a glow around them. They had been transported to another place, a place where it was nothing but okay to give into their every want. There was no place for guilt and shame and hurt feelings. It was just about them and no one else in that moment.

So Jughead knew it was okay to pull Veronica even closer, to kiss along her jawline, her cheek, her lips.

Soft kisses at first turned into deeper ones as they opened their mouths to each other while Jughead carefully backed her up against the smooth warmth of the jukebox. And in one fluid movement, his hands were on her bottom, lifting her up as her legs wrapped around his waist.

Otis Redding’s “These Arms of Mine” began to play as Jughead unzipped his jeans and pulled Veronica’s panties to the side, wasting no time as he eased himself into her, wincing while feeling a weakness all over his entire body when she moaned his name.

“Oh…Jug…”

It wasn’t like the other times. There was something else behind the way she sighed into his ear as their bodies moved together in unison.

“You’re… _incredible_ …” She groaned as he fucked her harder, Solomon Burke’s “Cry to Me” playing as their bodies moved in a matching rhythm to the music.

They only had two songs left, and he had no intention of being done until all five of them had all played.

Veronica had carefully picked each one, after all, and he wanted nothing more than for her to hear them all while he gave her exactly what he knew she had wanted ever since they’d walked into that room.

There was no lock on the door, which made it even more thrilling, and the adrenaline junkie in him was back in full force. And all because of her.

“Veronica… _fuck_ …you…are perfect…” He sighed in her ear between deep thrusts.

He hadn’t said the words by accident, he hadn’t said them in vain. He hadn’t said them just because “At Last” was playing, making him feel all kinds of things he hadn’t planned on ever feeling, realizing the music was unlocking things he had kept hidden.

Maybe later he would regret laying himself bare for that brief moment. Letting her know that that was more to all of this than just good sex.

There was a line he was teetering on, and he knew it, and he would deal with the reality and logic of it later, but for now, he would keep holding her, his body against hers, until the last song ended.

 

To be continued…

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I highly encourage you all to go on youtube and listen to the songs that play on the jukebox while Veronica and Jug were in the storage room. And then read that whole part again while those songs play :) 
> 
> Thank you for all the feedback and the love! This story is so fun to write!


	7. Chapter 7

“You…are perfect…”

Veronica buried her face in her pillow at the memory of what Jughead had said to her the night before.

She didn’t want to like what he had said, and how he had said it, but he had rendered her speechless.

The last song she had selected on the jukebox ended just as she and Jughead both came on the last note. It had been her favorite oldie, “In the Still of the Night” by The Five Satins, and it had been just as slow and sweet as the way Jughead worked her body, his lips peppering kisses against hers.

Either her heart was skipping, or it was beating wildly, and sometimes it seemed to be doing both at the same time, and sometimes it seemed to be doing neither, completely stopping from the overload of all the indescribable sensations she was feeling

They stared at each other, breathless, eyes searching for any indication that they had both felt whatever it had been that they’d just felt.

Had it just been the dim light, the warmth of the jukebox and the music that flowed from it, that had cast some sort of spell on the two of them? Because whatever it had been, Veronica’s knees were practically useless once Jughead loosened his grip on her thighs and her feet touched the floor.

Jughead’s hands cupped her face.

“Veronica…“

But before he could say anything else, the door suddenly burst open and Jughead’s hands quickly fell to his side.

“He did it! He fucking won the whole _damn_ _thing_! Come celebrate with us!” Fangs yelped as a mug full of beer sloshed around in violent waves as he held it up in celebratory excitement.

Obviously Sweet Pea’s boast about winning had actually become reality, and Fangs’ enthusiasm was infectious.

Veronica followed behind Jughead, flicking off the light to the storage room and closing the door behind her.

She wondered what he had been about to say to her before they were interrupted, but she wasn’t going to ask.

It wasn’t until she was walking out to her car to leave the biker bar, after celebrating Sweet Pea’s victory with a round of shots, when Jughead caught up to her.

“Hey, V…hold up a sec.” He said as he jogged up behind her.

She turned to him, suddenly struck by how handsome he looked with his beanie off, his hair still disheveled from their tryst in the storage room, and his blue eyes bright and captivating her as he smiled nervously.

“I…um…back there earlier…before Fangs walked in…I wanted to tell you…that…I really care about you…a lot. I know I’ve never said anything like that before to you. But…I wanted you to know. And…I’m just really glad we’re friends.”

He stammered on his words and Veronica couldn’t help but smile.

It was hard for him to open up like that, she knew that about him. She knew it because she was the same way. Laying herself bare emotionally had never been a part of her psychological makeup. It had never been a part of Jughead’s either.

Both of them were the kind of people who found it easier to express themselves through their actions. Actions spoke louder than words for most people, but for people like Jughead and Veronica, it was their words that meant the most, that had the most impact.

“I care about you too, Jughead. And thank you for tonight. It was…enchanting…and it was unforgettable. You’re a great friend.”

She wanted more than anything to kiss him in that moment, all because she was completely charmed by Jughead Jones. And she wouldn’t admit to anything more than that. He was just her friend. And he thought of her as a friend too.

As they gazed at each other, neither one admitting anything else, neither one admitting anything that would make whatever it was that was going on between them even more complicated, Veronica decided to take the risk of the prying eyes around them.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Jughead just the way she had wanted to. Letting her actions speak, even if there was no indication of what her actions really meant other than just wanting to end the night with a simple kiss and nothing more.

He was hesitant at first, well aware that anyone could be watching them, but he couldn’t resist. And she smiled against his lips knowing that he couldn’t resist her.

She couldn’t resist him either.

But as she lay in her bed now, wondering what the hell she was doing, her heart ached knowing that this would all come crashing down at some point. There was no way she could sustain her relationship with Archie through the end of the school year and also keep up the charade with Jughead. The play would soon be over, and all of that extra time would be over too.

The thought made her unbearably sad.

She didn’t want to go backwards in life. Moving forward was her only option. She would have to find a way to move forward with her friendships intact, even if that meant giving something up that she never wanted to have to let go of.

\---

 

“I never had a big appreciation for musicals. I’ve always been more into film noir…you know, anything super pretentious.” Jughead told Veronica with chuckle as the two sat on the floor of Veronica’s bedroom in front of her TV, munching on popcorn.

She and Jughead were watching the movie adaptation of _West Side Story_ for the sixth time in the past two weeks as they continued to prepare for their roles as Maria and Tony, the star-crossed lovers whose fate ended in the hands of a racism fueled gang war.

“That doesn’t surprise me. In fact, I think I remember you telling me once that you have never been more inspired by anything like you were inspired by _The Third Man_.”

Jughead looked at her, completely shocked.

“You remember that?”

Veronica nodded.

“I do, because I found it very interesting to know that a seedy, post war, cynical Vienna gets you amped.”

Jughead chuckled.

“Most people would find that really odd and off-putting.” He replied as he grabbed a handful of popcorn.

Veronica nodded her head.

“Oh, it’s definitely odd, yeah. But it also shows how very on-point your appreciation for an Orson Welles classic is. Kind of like the newfound appreciation you have for musicals, especially _this_ one.” She said with a sly grin as she pointed to the TV.

Jughead sighed, sagging his shoulders in mock defeat.

“I don’t know why I like it so much. It’s a total mystery to me.” He said, freely admitting that he really had grown to love the musical and was hoping he could do the original movie version of Tony justice.

A play he had cared the very least bit about before, had now come to mean something to him, and he knew it had almost everything to do with how he saw it through Veronica’s eyes.

“It’s probably because it’s very Shakespearean. It’s like Romeo and Juliet but…a lot easier to relate to in current society.” Veronica said with a dreamy sigh.

“But Natalie Wood isn’t even Puerto Rican, she was the daughter of Russian immigrants. As a Latina woman, doesn’t that offend you?” Jughead asked as he sat next to her.

Veronica shrugged.

“It does, but I also realize that when they made this movie, Hollywood was still incredibly close-minded when it came to ethnic representation. Studios wanted a hit on their hands, and they needed a big name like Natalie. Everyone loved her. She could have been in a movie about murdering puppies and people would have lined up around the block to see it. But I will say, her accent is a bit much.”

Jughead smiled at her analysis. Veronica and her opinions used to annoy him to no end, but in the past few weeks, he realized just how interesting her thoughts were now that he was really paying attention. He thoroughly enjoyed talking to her, listening to her, touching her, just being with her in general.

Everything he felt for her was continuously morphing into something else, something deeper. But the guilt he felt towards Betty wouldn’t allow him to admit just what that feeling was, though his words and actions were consistently beginning to tell on him.

“Well, if you ask me, you make a _much_ better Maria.” He said, unable to stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth.

Lately, he had been far too forthcoming with vocalizing the thoughts that he’d been keeping to himself, but it worked to his benefit when Veronica leaned over and pressed her lips to his as she climbed onto his lap.

“I think that might be one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. You’re quite the charmer, Jones.” She said in between the soft brush of her lips against his.

Jughead tugged on the hem of her sweater, full of intent to take it off of her, when his cell phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at it as it lay on the floor next to him.

“Shit…it’s Betty. I was supposed to call her earlier.”

Veronica slid off of his lap and awkwardly fumbled with the TV remote as Jughead took the call from his girlfriend who he had been neglecting far too much lately.

“Hey babe!” He chirped as he picked up the call, immediately noticing a strange look on Veronica’s face, almost as if she was disappointed.

“Hey Juggy, are you still coming by to watch a movie with me? I made us some popcorn and have a cozy blanket waiting to get warm under.” She said in her most sultry tone.

It was an offer that, at one time, Jughead would have jumped at, his pulse racing and his heart pounding. But now, it meant leaving Veronica to finish watching _West Side Story_ by herself. It meant not getting to end their night dancing to The Platters or The Righteous Brothers, finding another classic to add to their prom playlist.

It meant not getting to be with her, driving off to one of their secret spots together, doing all of those things to her that he thought about all day long.

But he also knew that he couldn’t keep canceling on Betty, his _actual_ girlfriend.

“Absolutely, Betts, I’ll be right over.”

Jughead ended the call and sighed heavily.

“Gotta go?” Veronica asked, a weak smile on her face that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Jughead nodded.

“Yeah…you know…boyfriend duties. But, we’ll rehearse tomorrow…at school, okay?”

He got up to leave, but it was the last thing he wanted to do. Since when did he feel as if spending time with Betty was more of an obligation than something he actually looked forward to?

Veronica was quiet as she walked Jughead to the front door of her apartment. Her mother and father were gone for the evening and he hated not being able to stay longer, to take advantage of being alone together. He found himself even resenting Betty for it, and the guilt that followed that thought was what finally pushed him out the door.

He was in a fucked up headspace as he rode his motorcycle to the Cooper house.

He loved Betty, but he didn’t know how far that love stretched anymore, and it actually felt as if it was doing the opposite, steadily recoiling, and when it got to the end, he would have to make a decision.

\---

 

“He has _such_ a great singing voice…it’s still hard to believe.” Veronica said quietly as she sat next to Archie in the first row of the Riverdale auditorium.

They were watching Jughead on stage, singing “Something’s Coming”, his first solo in the play.

She couldn’t take her eyes off of him as he sang with everything he had. It wasn’t like the first time he had rehearsed the song. He was more involved this time, more passionate.

And it was a major turn on, regardless of the fact that her boyfriend was sitting right next to her.

“Yeah…in all the years we’ve been best friends, he’s never let on that he sings. Kind of pisses me off, to best honest.” Archie replied, grumpily.

Veronica chuckled.

“Jealous, Archikins?” She asked teasingly as she continued to watch Jughead.

Archie scoffed.

“Jealous? Why would I be jealous? Just because my girlfriend is practically drooling over my best friend? That would be ridiculous of me, _right_?”

But before Veronica could even respond, to try and deny Archie’s assumption, he had jumped up from his seat and was storming towards the auditorium doors.

Veronica jumped up to follow him, her heart pounding furiously inside her chest. Was she about to be confronted? Did Archie know something? She was a ball of nerves as she burst through the doors and into the vestibule.

“Archie! Stop!” She yelped as she saw him heading for the main exit.

But he didn’t stop, he kept going right out into the parking lot where Veronica was finally able to catch up to him while he was unlocking his truck.

“Archie…wait.” She pleaded as she touched his arm.

Archie turned to her, his jaw clenched, and his eyebrows knitted together. He was frustrated and hurt, and it pained Veronica to know that she was the cause of it.

“Why are you getting so upset?” She asked him, holding her breath as she waited for his reply.

Archie sighed heavily before his spoke.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Jug. You’ve been blowing me off to be with Jug. It’s starting to fuck with my head. I mean…I know it’s ridiculous to think you could ever be interested in him. He’s not your type…but…I just feel like I’m losing you a lot sooner than I had thought I would.”

Veronica exhaled slowly, feeling a relief as her pulse began to slow. Archie was feeling paranoid, but he had every right to.

“You’re not losing me. Jughead and I are just…kind of friends. Archie, I know our future is…uncertain, but I’m still your girlfriend.”

Archie’s face relaxed into a smile as he took her into his arms. He seemed relieved, but her guilt was still hounding her as he kissed her forehead.

“Okay…then, let’s get out here. My dad isn’t home, and mom left to go back to Chicago this morning…”

Veronica’s heart sank, and she knew it was the wrong thing for her to feel. It must have been obvious just by looking at her because Archie suddenly dropped his arms to his side.

“What?” He asked, the frustration returning to his face.

“I…I have to rehearse, Arch.” She said quietly.

Archie crossed his arms, regarding her with a scowl on his face.

“Ronnie, if you want me to believe that you are _truly_ still mine. And if you _don’t_ want me to think that there’s something going on that I should know about…then you’ll come with me right now.”

Veronica hated the ultimatum, and it wasn’t like Archie to give her one. He had always trusted her so blindingly before. And as much as she wanted to tell him the truth, to quit living with secrets and guilt, she couldn’t. There was another relationship at stake, and it wasn’t her place to give Jughead no choice but to come clean to Betty. She cared far too much for Jughead to do that to him.

Veronica swallowed hard as he forced herself to smile at her trusting, sweet boyfriend. Her trusting, sweet boyfriend that she found herself slowly beginning to resent, no matter how much she tried to fight it.

“Okay, Archikins. Let’s go.”

\---

 

Jughead looked around the auditorium, and backstage, but there was no Veronica in sight.

“Where’s your Maria?” Ms. Lamay asked, as if Jughead was responsible for every move Veronica made.

“I don’t know.” Was all Jughead could reply.

He had seen Veronica following Archie out of the auditorium during his solo but he didn’t know why, and he never saw either of them return.

“I’ll go check the parking lot.” Jughead finally said as Ms. Lamay stared at him expectantly.

“You do that, and if she’s not out there, let her know that she can add an hour to her rehearsal time tomorrow.”

Jughead nodded as he headed out of the building and into the lot. Veronica’s car was there, but Archie’s truck wasn’t.

It didn’t take much for him to figure out that Veronica had left with Archie.

She had decided to leave in the middle of rehearsal, to be with Archie.

Jughead wanted nothing more than to ignore the crushing feeling in his chest, the familiar feeling of jealousy. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

The feeling had been something he’d gotten very used to back when he had such a huge crush on Betty, but Betty had only had eyes for the boy next door in the form of Archie Andrews until she had finally noticed Jughead and fallen for him instead.

Regardless, being jealous of Archie had been something Jughead had grown accustomed to, but he had thought those days were behind him now.

Apparently not.

“Juggy? What are you doing out here?”

Betty’s voice shook him from his heart-wrenching disappointment over Veronica having chosen Archie over their rehearsal time. Over Jughead. He knew Veronica wasn’t his, but he had become  look forward to any time he got to spend with her.

“Um…Lamay wanted me to look for Veronica…but…uh…I guess she left.”

Betty came up and wrapped her arms around him from behind as she rested her head on his back.

“Well…we could use that to our advantage and leave too.” She said softly.

But Jughead wasn’t in the mood. Instead, he wanted to go to the Whyte Wyrm and have a couple beers, and try not to think about what Veronica was doing with Archie at that moment.

And also try to not think about why it bothered him so much.

 

To be continued…

 


	8. Chapter 8

“Maria! Maria! Come down!”

Jughead stood on the bottom rung of the fire escape part of the set, waiting for Veronica to come through the window of the apartment building set piece.

“Quiet, Tony!” Veronica yelped as she opened the curtains and looked down at him.

“Come down!” He called again.

Veronica smiled.

“No.” She teased.

Jughead smiled up at her.

“Maria…”

But she shook her head.

“Please. If Bernardo—"

Jughead then shook _his_ head.

“He’s at the dance. Come down.”

Veronica hesitated.

“He will soon bring Anita home.”

Jughead went up a few rungs of the fire escape and stretched his hand out towards where Veronica stood.

“Just for a minute.” He pleaded.

Veronica smiled tenderly at him.

“A minute is not enough.”

And that’s when gazing at Veronica as Maria made him totally forget his next line. And all because he had gotten so completely lost when he’d looked into her deep, brown eyes. Eyes he’d missed staring into over the past few days.

“Cut! Take five, people!” Ms. Lamay shouted from her usual seat in the auditorium.

“Good job, you two! And Jones, I’m glad to see how totally besotted you are by Maria. It’s very convincing. But _stop_ forgetting your next line!”

Jughead nodded at the feedback from Ms. Lamay, and he chastised himself for getting lost in his own, personal thoughts during his scene with Veronica.

They were only a handful of days away from the opening night of the play, and currently going through their first full rehearsal. It had been nerve-racking, to say the least.

Especially since Jughead hadn’t been alone with Veronica in days. She hadn’t texted him since she’d left rehearsal with Archie, and Jughead hadn’t texted her either.

They’d rehearsed at the school but nothing more. They hadn’t been working on their lines alone nor continuing to work on the prom playlist together.

Everything between them had ceased completely. He wasn’t sure why, and he didn’t want to ask her about it. He didn’t want her to think he couldn’t handle the fact that she was making her relationship with Archie a priority.

Archie was her _actual_ boyfriend. Archie was the guy she was _really_ with.

So instead, Jughead had been attempting to spend more time with Betty, doing whatever he could to reignite the spark they’d once had.

But the effort wasn’t reaping the outcome he’d been hoping for.

“Having trouble with your lines?” Veronica asked with a teasing grin as she took a seat next to Jughead on the edge of the stage.

Jughead chuckled.

“A little.” He replied with a sigh.

“But that might have something to do with my scene partner having disappeared on me a few nights ago.”

He didn’t look at Veronica, but he could sense her watching him, trying to gauge just how upset he was over her vanishing act.

“I’m sorry, Jug. But…Archie…he was getting suspicious. He was starting to think that…that maybe I was feeling something for you.”

Jughead looked up at her, eyes wide with surprise and worry.

“ _Fuck_ …what did he say?”

Veronica shook her head.

“It doesn’t matter. But I did what I had to do to convince him that he was wrong. So that he wouldn’t suspect anything…and so he wouldn’t tell Betty anything about his inklings.”

Jughead’s heart sank as she spoke.

“Well, I guess you must have succeeded…you know…after _three_ days of convincing.”

He heard the bite in his tone, even though he hadn’t meant to sound so bitter.

Veronica's eyes widened with surprise.

“I’m sorry, Jughead. I didn’t expect you to be so upset with me over it. I wasn’t trying to blow you off. In fact, I was hoping we could meet up later…just me and you…because, honestly…I miss you.”

But Jughead couldn’t bring himself to look at her as he stood up from where he’d been sitting. The five minute break was over and it was time to get back to rehearsal.

As much as he wanted to take Veronica up on her offer, he also felt a foolish sense of pride come over him in the form of a rejection to the girl who had become to mean so much more to him than he’d ever anticipated.

“Sorry, Lodge. I have plans with my girlfriend tonight.”

\---

 

Veronica leaned forward as she applied her makeup in one of the large, lighted vanity tables backstage of the Riverdale High auditorium.

It was finally opening night of their production of _West Side Story._ It almost didn’t seem real, but she was nervous regardless.

“You look amazing, V.” Betty said as she appeared in the mirror next to Veronica.

Veronica smiled at her friend, though she constantly found it difficult to make eye contact with Betty ever since her secret hookups with Jughead had begun. Granted, meeting up with Jughead had abruptly ended a week earlier, and Veronica was struggling over the lack of time with him. She missed him terribly.

She had gotten so used to how things had been with them. But ever since she had made the decision to go with Archie and leave rehearsal, things with her and Jughead had been very different.

Jughead had clearly been upset with her, and she was curious as to what exactly had made him so upset.

Her heart raced wondering if he had been jealous, and not just because he knew she’d had to have sex with Archie in order to make him forget about his suspicions. She wondered if Jughead’s jealousy stemmed from something more.

Her own jealousy did. She had seen Jughead and Betty at Pop’s a couple nights earlier, sitting together on the same side of the booth, talking closely and kissing sweetly.

Seeing them together like that had made her sick with heartache, and it caused her to finally admit to herself that Jughead wasn’t just a friend to her. She had feelings for him. Feelings so intense that her whole body felt lit up with energy and anxiousness. Every time she saw him, her whole body was affected by it.

It was unavoidable and undeniable and she couldn’t even tell him.

“Thank you, B.” Veronica replied with a sigh as she forced a smile.

Betty proceeded to take a seat at the vanity station next to Veronica’s and turned to face her friend.

“You’ve worked _really_ hard on your role and I know you’re going to just blow everyone’s minds tonight. You should be really proud of yourself.”

Veronica could hardly handle the barrage of compliments, but she grinned regardless.

“I just hope I can get through it. I’ve never done this before.” She replied with a nervous chuckle.

Betty shook her head.

“I don’t think you need to worry. You’re going to be great. You and Jughead _both_ are going to do great.”

Veronica swallowed hard at the mention of Jughead, doing her best to act nonchalant, though just hearing his name had an effect on her.

“You know, I was getting a little bit worried about all of the time you and Juggy were spending together. Archie even thought there might be something going on between you two. But…Jug has been _so_ attentive lately. He’s really been making an effort to spend any extra time he has with me.”

Veronica nodded.

“Yeah, I’m sorry you and Archie were worried. But…nothing is going on. And I’m really glad for you that he’s been trying to get back to how things were.” Veronica replied.

It was the truth. Currently, nothing was actually going on between her and Jughead, even though she wanted there to be. Because no matter how much she tried to get back what she’d once had with Archie, she couldn’t get past thinking about Jughead. 

“I mean…there are times when he gets distant still, but…I know how dedicated he is to making our relationship work. I mean, nothing can _ever_ compare to what he and I have. Our love for each other has always been incredibly strong.”

Veronica frowned at the way Betty was boasting about her relationship. Veronica knew better, and she couldn’t help but want to take the wind out of Betty’s sails, even though she knew it was wrong to do it.

“What about NYU? He’s more than likely to get accepted. How are you going to make things work long distance if he’s already being distant right here in Riverdale?”

The question came out a lot more cutting than she had planned, but she didn’t care. She was jealous, plain and simple.

Betty didn’t say anything at first, only stared at her best friend.

“He’s talked to you about NYU?” She finally asked, a sudden solemnness in her tone.

Veronica nodded.

“Yes, he has. It’s his dream to go there, even if his own girlfriend doesn’t support it.”

Betty scowled.

“He told you that?”

Veronica nodded again.

“It’s true, isn’t it?”

Betty got up from her seat.

“There’s nothing wrong with me wanting him to be here. I love him.”

Veronica stood up to.

“If you love him, then that’s _exactly_ why you should support him and let him go without laying a guilt trip on him.”

The two girls stood there, glaring at each other, saying nothing else until they heard Ms. Lamay call out for everyone to gather round for a quick pep talk before show time.

And as everyone began to get in their places, Veronica felt a hand grab her wrist, pulling her behind one of the large Manhattan set pieces.

“I heard all of that. What the _hell_ , Veronica?” Jughead asked as he glared at her.

Veronica jerked her arm away angrily as she glared back.

But she couldn’t deny how handsome he looked dressed up as Tony, his hair slicked back, looking like he’d just stepped out of a time machine. Her heart pounded in her chest, no matter how much she wanted to be mad at him.

“ _What_? You said that she won’t acknowledge that you want to go to NYU. I just figured she needed a dose of reality, especially since lately you’ve decided to give her false hopes about your future together.”

Jughead sighed as he lowered his head.

“I’m not trying to give her false hopes.” He replied, defeatedly.

Veronica crossed her arms.

“Then what are you trying to do, Jughead?”

Jughead looked up, his eyes locked on hers.

“I’m trying to stop thinking about _you_. Especially since you are clearly so hung up on Archie and trying to make shit with _him_ work.”

Veronica’s mouth dropped open in complete shock. That wasn’t at all what she had been expecting him to say.

And she had so many questions. Like, why did he want to stop thinking about her? And was it because he _couldn’t_ stop thinking about her? And if that was the case, what did that mean?

But she didn’t have time to ask him anything before they heard Ms. Lamay yelling for them above all the hustle and bustle of backstage.

“Tony and Maria! Get over here _now_! We need you to be in your places!”

Jughead grabbed her hand and dragged her to where Ms. Lamay stood waiting.

“Okay, you two, good luck tonight. You’re going to be _incredible_! I just _know_ it! And no pressure, but NYU is here and you both need to _bring_ it. Bring it with everything you got.”

Veronica and Jughead nodded in unison before going off to their separate areas to await their first scenes.

It was time for them both to shine, no matter what drama awaited them after.

\---

 

The Riverdale production of West Side Story was going extremely well, so far.

Jughead had only noticed a few hiccups, and it wasn’t anything that anyone in the audience would even notice. Hopefully the visitors from NYU wouldn’t notice either.

But all the work that Ms. Lamay had put into it, the tyrant that she’d had to be in order for the play to go smoothly, hadn’t been in vain.

And as Jughead leaned down to kiss Veronica after their “One Hand, One Heart” duet, his own heart was beating wildly in his chest when his lips met hers.

Her lips felt just as amazing as they’d always had. Kissing her had always been the end of him. And he didn’t even realize that he had cupped her face in his hands until Veronica’s hands were holding his waist, as if holding onto him for dear life.

It wasn’t until the stage had gone dark and Kevin was hissing at them to get off of it so they could reset it during intermission, that Veronica and Jughead pulled away.

“You shouldn't have kissed me like that, Jughead. You just did that in front of _everyone_.”

She got up and left the stage quickly as Jughead trailed behind.

It wasn’t until they were both backstage, in one of the dressing rooms and away from eavesdroppers, that he replied.

“I don’t care. It was just acting. Being caught up in the moment is apart of it.”

Veronica cocked her head to the side, a smirk on her face.

“Oh, is _that_ all it was?”

Jughead shook his head.

“No, but no one has to know that.” He said as he stepped towards her.

She looked so beautiful in the pale blue dress she wore. He had never seen her wear that color, but he liked it on her, even though he couldn’t stop thinking about how it would look off of her.

“Tell me why you said you were trying to stop thinking about me.” She suddenly blurted.

It was obvious that their conversation from earlier was still on her mind, though he had hoped she would just forget his brief moment of weakness.

“Veronica...let's not do this now…”

But Veronica shook her head.

“No, you said what you said for a _reason_ , and I can’t just let it go. Jughead…just…please be honest with me. If you’ll be honest with me, I’ll be honest with you…no matter what you tell me.”

Jughead sighed as Veronica stood in front of him, biting her bottom lip, looking gorgeous as her brown eyes looked deep into his.

He had grown incredibly weary of keeping secrets, keeping thoughts and feelings to himself. If he could just unload some of that burden, maybe it would give at least some type of peace. Especially since he would finally get to know how Veronica felt about him, and that was worth everything.

He took a deep breath.

“Fine…so…like I told you earlier…I can’t stop thinking about you. I think…” He shook his head, but he had come this far, and there was no going back.

“Fuck it…I think I’m falling in love with you, Veronica. I know that’s not what any of this was ever supposed to be about…but…it is what it is. I think about you _constantly_. And…I don’t want to feel this way, but I do. I’m sorry.”

Veronica didn’t say anything as she gazed at him, her lips beginning to form into a smile.

“Don’t be sorry, Jughead.” She said as she took one of his hands in hers.

“Why not?” He asked, his heart slamming against his ribcage at the feel of her fingers linked with his.

The way she was looking at him was making his pulse race, and he wished they had at least 20 more minutes of intermission left so he could make up for lost time with her.

“I think you know why not.” She said as her arms circled around his neck.

Jughead smiled as he kept his hand in his back pockets, not touching her until she said the words.

“Say it, Veronica.”

She grinned slyly at him.

“I think I’m falling in love with you too, Jughead. I think about you all the time and I want to be with you all the time. I know it’s only been a week, but I miss your body, your kiss, your touch, your smile, your laugh, our conversations, our times together…everything.”

Jughead’s heart seemed to get weaker with each word she spoke.

He couldn’t resist not touching her as she pressed her body up against his, teasing him. Her hand behind his neck as her lips hovered over his, taunting him as her eyes searched his, waiting for him to give in.

She wanted him and like always, he couldn’t resist her as he grabbed her waist and leaned down to cover her mouth with his.

And kissing her felt like his own, personal heaven; unrestrained and reckless, full of passion and heat.

He could have stayed like that forever.

“Ahem…um…Jughead…Veronica…they need you in place now for the next act.”

Veronica and Jughead pulled away quickly when they heard the sound of Kevin Keller’s voice, but it was too late. Kevin had seen them. Jughead could only wonder for how long Kevin had been standing there, and if he had heard anything Jughead and Veronica had said.

“Uh…yeah…we’re coming…” Jughead replied as he straightened his shirt.

The look of fright on Veronica’s face matched exactly how he felt.

“Don’t worry about it.” He told her softly as they headed back out towards the stage.

Veronica nodded, but he knew that they both knew they had just taken too big of a risk. Not only did they now know how each other felt, but someone else might too.

\---

 

“Oh my God! You were _fantastic_ , Veronica! Absolutely _fantastic_! I was crying during your monologue at the end. Crying!”

Veronica smiled shyly as Ethel Muggs went on and on about how impressed she was with Veronica’s performance.

Ethel was one of many people that had come up to her during the afterparty to congratulate her and to give her accolades for her role as Maria. But it was all just a blur as she sat on one of the backstage sofas with a cup of hot tea to soothe her voice. Archie had just left a few moments before, needing to head to a wresting practice that had been delayed just so Archie could attend the play.

Veronica wanted to enjoy the compliments and to enjoy the party that Ms. Lamay had surprised them with, even including a huge opening night cake. And she wanted to wish that Archie could have hung out longer. But when it came down to it, all she could think about was Jughead telling her that he was falling in love with her, and the way he had kissed her once she had confessed that she felt the same way.

She had never been so happy, but so heartbroken, in all her 18 years.

Knowing how Jughead felt about her was something she had known was dangerous to want, but she had wanted it regardless.

But just because he was falling for her didn’t mean she could be with him. There were two other people in their lives, the two other people they cared about more than anything, who would be devastated to know the truth.

And it was _that_ reality that made Veronica want to cry, despite her happiness.

“Everyone! Everyone! Gather round!”

Veronica turned to see Ms. Lamay enter the middle of the backstage area where the party was being held, her hands clasped together in excitement with an ear to ear grin on her face.

“I just spoke to the faculty from NYU who came to see they play! They loved it so much that they’re coming to our show tomorrow night too! Veronica and Jughead, they want to meet you both! They were absolutely _astounded_ by your remarkable performances! A round of applause for our leads!”

The whole cast clapped as Veronica looked over at Jughead, who had been standing over by the food table with Betty hanging on his arm, proudly showing off that it was _her_ boyfriend who had been one of the stars of the musical.

As much as she wanted to look away at how cuddled up the couple was, she couldn’t. She wanted to look at him. She needed to share that moment of amazing news with him.

Jughead smiled at her, and she smiled back. NYU was impressed. This was big for them both.

So she wasn’t entirely surprised when her phone beeped forty-five minutes later.

_I’m taking Betty home now. Meet me behind the Pembrooke._

Veronica bit her lip as she texted back.

_I’ll be there._

To be continued…

 


	9. Chapter 9

“Are you sure…that this is a good idea?” Veronica asked breathlessly as she straddled Jughead, her sweat slick body bathed in moonlight.

They were on their blanket, on a patch of grass along the banks of Sweetwater River. He was buried deep inside of her as she ground her hips against his in slow, languid strokes.

“It’s a fucking _fantastic_ idea.” Jughead grunted as he kissed and nipped a path from Veronica’s shoulder to her neck, one arm securely around her waist, his hand clutching her possessively while the other wove through her dark hair.

He couldn’t get enough of touching her, and he would never be able to get enough of touching her for as long as he lived.

The one week without her had been torture, and he didn’t want to think about ever going that long without her again.

But he knew that wasn’t realistic.

“There’s nothing wrong with celebrating a little.” He told her as he lay her down on her back, still inside of her, wanting to make her come again the way he had made her come just minutes earlier.

Hearing her sweet moans, feeling the way her body bucked into his, seeing the gorgeous look on her face; it was everything to him. He wanted to be the only man to ever do that to her, to make her feel that way. If only he could be, he would be happier than any man alive or dead.

Veronica giggled as her arms slung casually around his neck while she gazed up at him under the star-filled sky, the river babbling softly next to them, the moon casting an ethereal glow over their naked skin.

“Oh Jug…” She sighed.

The way she spoke his name made his whole body weak but his cock even harder.

He plunged into her one last time, making her shout with ecstasy as he came right along with her, groaning from his own release before clamping his mouth onto her breast, making her writhe uncontrollably beneath him from the last shock of pure pleasure to her body.

“Oh my _God_ …” She moaned as her body went limp.

Jughead lay down on the blanket beside her as she cuddled up close to him, her head on his chest as he held her in his arms.

“We’re going to have to do that again before I take you home, Lodge.” He said with a smile in his voice.

He knew everything was starting to get messy between him and Veronica, but he just wanted to keep enjoying a night that had been unforgettable.

“You really were sensational tonight, Veronica. I knew you’d be the perfect Maria, but you really showed everyone just how talented and wonderful you really are.” He finally told her once their breathing had gone back to normal.

Veronica chuckled.

“You might be a little biased though.” She said quietly.

He loved how humble she was, though she didn’t need to be. She earned the right to be proud of herself. But he knew he was likely proud of her enough for the both of them.

“I might be, but it’s still the truth. I’m amazed by you. And tomorrow night…we get to meet the NYU people. All because of you.”

But Veronica shook her head.

“No, because of _both_ of us. You were _just_ as wonderful, Jughead.”

He didn’t argue with her, he had worked hard on his role as Tony. But regardless, he still had to give Veronica the bulk of the credit. She had blown his mind with her performance, and he would never forget it. He would hold onto the memory of being the Tony to her Maria for the rest of his life.

“I didn’t see your dad in the audience.” He said, not wanting to bring up a touchy subject but still wanting to find out if she was okay.

Veronica sighed heavily.

“He didn’t go. He thinks being in a school play is a waste of time and energy. But I’m not surprised he feels that way. My father has never had much an appreciation for the arts.”

Jughead nodded in agreement.

“Same with my dad. He didn’t go to the play either. He told me that he’d rather see me _writing_ the plays, not being _in_ them. Especially a musical.”

Veronica gasped.

“Oh no! He hasn’t heard you sing? He’d be so impressed and amazed by you, Jug. He’s seriously missing out.”

But Jughead only shrugged.

“Yeah, he’d probably raise an eyebrow, but saying he’d be impressed is a stretch. But it’s okay. The main person that I wanted to be there tonight was right there with me almost the whole time.” He replied as he kissed the top of her head.

Veronica squeezed him tight, and he knew she was smiling, knowing that she was the person he was talking about.

But it wasn’t long before they had to address what had happened backstage.

“Do you think Kevin will say anything to Archie and Betty?” Veronica asked, her voice full of concern.

Jughead sighed.

“I don’t know. I hope not. I just…I know there’s not a right time to tell Betty and Archie about us. I don’t want to hurt them. I just don’t know what to do.”

It was the truth. Hurting his best friend and the girl who had been his first love was the most excruciating thing he could think of other than losing Veronica. But he had no idea how they could all four get out of this mess unscathed. Someone was going to get hurt. There was absolutely no doubt about that.

“I don’t know what to do either. We still have our prom committee duties and I don’t think I can keep my hands off of you as we continue making that playlist.” Veronica said as she sat up and climbed on top of Jughead, her hand on his chest as she guided his hard cock back into her.

They both let out a heavy sigh at the feel of their bodies connecting so perfectly together.

“ _Damn_ baby…” Jughead murmured as she began to move her hips in circles, working his cock in that expert way of hers that made him crazy every single time.

“I mean…how would I be able to stop my overwhelming need to take my clothes off whenever we’re alone together, listening to the Skyliners or the Ronettes, while you look at me with those gorgeous, blue eyes of yours?” She asked teasingly, a wicked smile on her face.

She threw her head back, moaning at how good he felt, making Jughead want to come again so badly, but also wanting to enjoy every second of the way she rode him.

“Veronica…” He winced as his hands splayed across her hips, he wasn’t going to last much longer, not when she felt this amazing.

She leaned down, her breasts pressed against his chest as she kissed him, her tongue licking the seam of his lips before he opened his mouth to her.

“Your fucking incredible.” He murmured in between deep kisses, her hands in his hair, his hands grabbing her bottom.

“Only because you are, Jughead Jones.” She whispered.

“Only because you’re the most incredible person I’ve ever known.”

\---

 

“We need to talk, Ronnie.”

Veronica looked up from her book as she sat in the school library during her study hall period.

Kevin Keller was standing in front of her with a guilt-ridden look on his clean-cut, handsome face.

“Take a seat.” She said quietly as she closed her book and motioned for Kevin to sit across from her.

Kevin sighed as he sat down, clasping his hands together in that dramatic way he always did when he was about to dive into some serious gossip.

But she was well aware that the gossip was about her this time.

“As you know, I saw you and Jughead…kissing…and not just during the play. I heard you talking about how you can’t stop thinking about him and that you’d missed him.”

He paused, as if waiting for Veronica to dispute what he had just said, but she stayed quiet.

“So…tell me…what’s going on between you two? Are you seeing each other behind Betty and Archie’s backs or something?”

Veronica sighed.

She had hoped that Kevin hadn’t heard anything she and Jughead had said to each other when he’d walked in on them in the backstage dressing room. She had hoped that she could just give Kevin some lame excuse about rehearsing their next kissing scene, that she and Jughead didn’t feel as if they had gotten it right.

As flimsy as the excuse was, Kevin wouldn’t have had much choice but to go with it instead of making it an issue. But no such luck. Veronica had the choice to either own it or deny it. And she decided to own it.

“Kevin…you know…Jughead and I, we’ve been spending a lot of time together. Not just with the play but with the prom too. I know that’s no excuse for what’s happened between us, but…yeah…you could say that we’ve sort of…we’ve fallen for each other.”

She saw the look of complete shock take over Kevin’s face before a small smile formed on his lips. She knew that he knew this was the juiciest of gossip and he was secretly loving it.

“Holy _shit_ …Veronica Lodge and Jughead Jones? Liking each other? Scandalous!”

Veronica shook her head.

“It’s actually worse than you might think. Prior to me and Jughead having feelings for each other, we’d been sleeping together…ever since New Years Eve.”

Kevin’s eyes looked as if they were going to bulge right out of his head when she had confessed the rest to him, but something about telling Kevin the truth felt remarkably freeing.

Kevin placed his hands on the table in front of him and took a deep breath.

“Okay…um…let’s, for a moment, forget the why’s and how’s of the situation and focus on the fact that Betty and Archie have no idea, I am assuming?”

Veronica shook her head.

“They don’t know…they’ve both had some suspicions, which was why I told Jughead I missed him. We tried to stay away from each other…but…it didn’t last.”

Kevin groaned.

“Oh no, V…so, when are you going to tell them? Betty and Archie have a right to know what’s going on.”

Veronica sighed wearily.

It was the same question she and Jughead had both been asking themselves ever since they’d admitted how they felt about each other. But there was no easy answer.

“He and I know we can’t be together…not if we don’t want to hurt Betty and Archie…which, we don’t. But I’m falling so _hard_ for him, Kev. I don’t know if I can stay away from him. I don’t think I can. Or, at least, I don’t want to.”

Kevin shook his head as he leaned forward in his chair.

“Veronica…” He said quietly.

“I believe you that you truly feel something for Jughead. It’s too random for it not to be legit. But…lying to Betty, your _best_ friend? And lying to Archie? Jughead’s _best_ friend? That’s not fair, and it’s never been like you to not do the right thing and tell the truth to the people you care about.”

He took Veronica’s hands in his as he spoke. Kevin had always been a good friend, and an honest one. She could always count on him to tell her what he thought, and she appreciated it, even if it wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

“You either need to tell them the truth or you need to end this thing with Jug. And if you don’t end this thing with Jughead, then I’ll have to tell Betty and Archie myself. I hate to hurt you in _any_ way, because I truly love you, but keeping secrets will only end even worse than telling the truth. You know that’s true.”

Veronica nodded. She couldn’t be upset with Kevin for what he was willing to do, she knew he just wanted to do the right thing, even if it wasn’t his place. And Veronica didn’t want to put her friend in that position.

“I know, Kev. You’re right. I’ll talk to Jughead. We’ll figure something out.” She said.

Kevin nodded.

“Thank you, Veronica. I’ll give you and Jug until the night of prom to do whatever it is you decide.”

\---

 

“You two were just _wonderful_. New York University needs students with your level of dedication, tenacity, and extraordinary talents. I’d like you to send your applications to me, _personally_. I know we’re getting to the end of the wire with acceptances, but I want to fast track you both to join us in the fall semester.”

Veronica and Jughead listened intently as the director of admissions from NYU spoke to the two of them right after their second performance of _West Side Story_.

Jughead’s hand reached out to squeeze Veronica’s, and he smiled to himself as she squeezed back.

“We can’t thank you enough.” Jughead said, knowing he could speak for both him and Veronica when it came to the offer to attend NYU.

It was something they had both wanted, and now it was something they were both getting.

“Attending NYU is my dream, as well as Veronica’s. It’s an honor to be accepted.”

Veronica smiled warmly as she shook the director’s hand.

“Thank you so much. I’m beyond thrilled.”

But it wasn’t until they were alone, and everyone else had left the auditorium, that Veronica threw her arms around Jughead and squealed with pure elation.

“It’s happening! We’re going to NYU!”

Jughead held her close, his body melting into hers.

“I think we should do more celebrating.” He replied, his voice low with desire.

He felt euphoric and being able to share the moment with Veronica meant everything to him.

But Veronica suddenly pulled away.

“Even after what Kevin said?”

Veronica had filled Jughead in on the whole conversation that she and Kevin had in the library, and he knew that the two of them were in dire straights, but he wasn’t ready to let go.

“I know Kevin is right, as much as it pisses me off, and as much as I think it’s wrong for him to feel the need to tell Betty and Archie if _we_ don’t. But regardless of what he said or thinks, or if I agree or not…I don’t want this to end, Veronica.”

She smiled at him as he reached for her again, but suddenly, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

“Let me guess…it’s Betty.” Veronica said with a frown.

Jughead nodded regretfully before answering the call.

“Yeah, we’re…uh…I’m leaving the auditorium now. We got held up by Lamay.”

He paused, listening to whatever it was that Betty was saying on the other end.

“Sure, I’ll be right over. And…Betty…when I get there, I have something I need to talk to you about.”

Veronica gave him a confused look as he ended the call and stuck his phone back in his pocket.

“I’m not telling her about us…not yet. But I _am_ going to tell her about New York. She isn’t going to have a choice on whether she wants to talk about it or not. She needs to understand what my plans are for my future, whether she accepts them or not.”

He sighed as he pulled Veronica to him and leaned down to kiss her. The only sound in the whole auditorium was their hearts beating in unison as Jughead rested his forehead against hers.

“Do you ever feel like we’re kind of like Tony and Maria? A secret, forbidden romance wrapped up in too many outside complications?”

Veronica chuckled softly as she held his hands in hers.

“Yes…but I’d like to think our story won’t end in tragedy.”

Jughead sighed.

“I’d like to think that too…but in the meantime, can I drive you home?”

\---

 

Veronica stood on a ladder in the gymnasium, hanging up paper stars. Even though she wasn’t on the decoration committee, she felt she owed Kevin the favor to help out.

Prom was quickly approaching, and it was the only thing anyone could talk about other than how good the school play had been. Veronica and Jughead had suddenly become like celebrities amongst their classmates, even getting asked for autographs by some of the freshmen students.

It was a bit ridiculous, but Veronica was proud of the work that the whole cast and crew had done, and she found herself thankful that Mrs. Bean had so strongly encouraged her to tryout.

It didn’t hurt that her co-star had been Jughead, who had brought out the best in her. She would forever be grateful to him, no matter what happened between them.

“Hey beautiful.”

She smiled at the sound of Jughead’s voice.

“I thought you had to help Sweetpea with something.” She said as she looked down at him, not having expected to see him, but loving the surprise.

Jughead grinned deviously.

“I did. Check it out.” He said as he pointed towards the stage at the other end of the gymnasium.

Veronica gasped when she looked over and saw the old jukebox from the Whyte Wyrm sitting in front of the stage, glowing warmly even under the florescent lights of the gym.

“ _Jughead_ …oh my God…” She said as she climbed down the ladder as quickly and carefully as she could.

She wanted to hug him, but she knew she couldn’t, not when there were so many other people mulling around the gym, especially Kevin.

“I can’t believe you brought it here!”

She ran over to where the jukebox sat, all cleaned up and ready to play all the songs she and Jughead had been pouring over for the past couple of weeks.

“I know I can’t be your date for prom, but I at least wanted us to have something that’s just for us. Something that represents a _very_ incredible memory.”

Her heart skipped remembering the night that Jughead had shown her the jukebox, what they had done together up against it, how he had admitted to her how much he cared about her.

It had been an incredible night, indeed, and she longed to have a night like that with Jughead again.

But even as complicated as things had been then, it was nowhere near how complicated things had become.

“Wow, look at that...”

Veronica and Jughead were suddenly brought out of their sweet moment together when they looked over to see Archie approaching where they stood.

“Yeah, she’s a beauty.” Jughead replied as he gazed at Veronica, a crooked grin on his face.

Veronica chuckled, but her smile quickly faded when Archie wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him, pressing his lips against her temple as he stared at the jukebox.

“Where’d that old thing come from? Does it even work? Because it looks like it belongs in a junkyard.”

Veronica winced as Jughead clenched his jaw.

“I brought it here from the Wyrm. Veronica and I are in charge of the music for prom, you know.”

Veronica could tell that Jughead was doing his best to not sound as pissed off as he actually was, though it was obvious that Archie was trying to get under his skin.

“It’s vintage, Archie. It fits right in with the theme.” Veronica added, matter-of-factly.

Archie shrugged.

“I guess. Anyway, are you ready to go? I told the guys we’d be at Reggie’s party early so we could get the grill started. I’m in charge of cooking the steaks.”

Veronica had completely forgotten about the barbeque party that she had promised Archie she would go with him to, but after the way he had tried to embarrass Jughead over the jukebox, going to a party with Archie was the last thing she wanted to do.

“Oh, Archie…I forgot to tell you…I can’t go. I have to work on my NYU application.” She said, feigning disappointment in not being able to join him for the party.

Archie scowled at her.

“What? You’re _seriously_ going to miss the most epic party of our senior year for some ridiculous application?” He asked as he stepped back from her, his arms falling to his side.

Veronica knew she should feel guilty, but she didn’t. Not when Archie had been such an asshole to Jughead lately, and all because of his jealousy, whether it was warranted for him to be jealous or not. Jughead was his best friend and Archie had been treating him as if he was beneath him. It wasn’t okay, no matter how she felt about Jughead.

“It isn’t ridiculous, Archie.” Jughead interjected.

“The director of admissions told me and Veronica both that he needs our applications as soon as possible so he can process our acceptance.”

Archie turned his glare on Jughead.

“You’re going to NYU too?” He asked, clearly annoyed.

Jughead nodded.

“Yes. I’ve told you before that I’ve always wanted to go there. This isn’t new, Archie.”

But Archie chuckled sarcastically.

“Yeah, but I didn’t think you had even the _slightest_ fucking chance of getting in. And how are you going to even pay for it? I know you’ve always been a dreamer, Jughead, but at some point in your life you’re going to have to get real.”

The look of pain on Jughead’s face at what Archie had just said was enough to make Veronica’s heart break in two. She couldn’t believe what a jerk Archie was being. It wasn’t fair and it wasn’t necessary.

“Just because I have the balls to actually get _out_ of this town doesn’t mean I’m being unrealistic. Unlike you, who thinks you can somehow keep Veronica by your side even though she has every intention of getting out of Riverdale too. So, who’s the one that needs to get real, Archie?”

Veronica watched as both boys stepped up to each other, clenching their fists and staring each other down, waiting for the other to make a move that would more than likely end with both of them getting hurt, and not just physically.

“ _Enough_ of this. _Both_ of you. Neither one of you is better than the other. Just…let it go.” Veronica seethed as she stood in between them.

Jughead stepped back first, relaxing his hands, with Archie quickly following his lead; though he was obviously still fuming as he continued to stare at Jughead.

“Great.” She said as she took a deep breath.

“That’s a start. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an application to work on.”

With that, she stomped out of the gymnasium, angry and frustrated by the two boys she cared about more than anyone. One of whom she was madly in love with.

She was no longer falling in love, she was now _fully_ in love with Jughead Jones.

And it was that love that she felt for Jughead that kept her from being able to ignore his text later that night while she sat on her bed, working on her application and listening to the rain hitting her bedroom window.

It was a night like tonight that reminded her of the night at Jughead’s when the lights had gone out, and she’d had no other choice but to stay with him.

They had finally talked, really _talked_ , and it was that first, real conversation that had led them to where they were now.

Sometimes she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or bad thing. Regardless, hearing from him made her pulse race and her body weak. She had no defenses when it came to him. As it was, he held her heart in his hands.

_I’m sorry for being a jerk today. Are you still mad at me?_

Veronica sighed as she texted back.

_No…you’re forgiven, Jones._

She didn’t have to wait long before he replied.

_Are your parent’s home?_

Veronica chuckled.

_No, they’re at a fundraising gala._

She looked at the clock. Her parents definitely wouldn’t be home anytime soon, and her heart pounded at the thought of getting to be alone with Jughead. But she wouldn’t dare let him come all the way to the Pembrooke with the weather as bad as it was.

_Good. Open the door to your apartment then._

Veronica smiled as she jumped up from her bed, wondering if Jughead had delivered something or was playing some kind of joke on her. But when she opened the front door, Jughead was standing there, a grin full of mischief on his handsome face.

She couldn’t believe he was there, and she wanted nothing more than to drag him into her apartment and then straight to her bedroom. But she played it cool instead.

“Oh, so, are you here to try and prove that you are better than Archie or something?” She asked with a smirk as she stood in the doorway, not letting him in.

Jughead leaned against the doorframe, smiling roguishly.

“I don’t have to prove _anything_ , Princess. You know that as well as I do.”

Veronica chuckled. He was too damn irresistible to her and he knew it.

“Are you going to let me in or what?” He asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.

She gave him a teasing grin.

“Well, you _did_ come all this way in the pouring rain…”

But before she could say anything else, Jughead was suddenly scooping her up in his arms and kicking the front door closed behind him as he buried his head in her neck, making her yelp with pleasure at the feel of his hot mouth on her skin.

“Rain is nothing. I would walk through fire, ice, rock, hail, sleet, snow, lighting, a damn hurricane just to get to you.” He murmured as he carried her to her bedroom.

He lay her down on her bed and gazed at her with that carnal look in his eyes that always did her in, that made her wild for him.

“We don’t have much time left.” She said quietly as he pulled off her panties before unbuttoning his jeans.

“I know, baby.” He sighed, knowing full well she didn’t mean until her parents would be home.

“So, let’s just make the most of it. We’ll make every single second count until we don’t have any more seconds left.”

 

To be continued…


	10. Chapter 10

“I got into NYU. Along with my acceptance letter I got an academic scholarship and financial aid, and with the money I saved up from working at the garage and the drive-in, I’ll be able to pay my way through school as long as I get a part-time job in the city.”

Jughead was sitting across from Betty at Pop’s when he delivered the news. He was practically bursting with excitement on the inside, but on the outside, he tried to remain as serious as he could as he waited for her reaction.

He watched as she sat back, staring down at her lap.

“You couldn’t have waited until after prom…or _graduation_ …to tell me this?” She asked as she wiped away a stray tear.

Jughead sighed, his shoulders sagging. All he had wanted was for her to be happy for him. And not because she was his girlfriend, but because she was supposed to be one of the closest people to him.

“It doesn’t matter _when_ I tell you, Betts.” He replied as he pushed his burger away from him.

He had suddenly lost his appetite.

“Of _course_ it matters!” Betty yelped.

“Because you’re basically telling me that it’s over between us. You’ve made it perfectly clear that when you get to New York, you can’t make any promises about a long-distance relationship. And you’ve been pulling away from me for months now.”

Jughead sighed, frustrated.

“Betty, can we just _enjoy_ what’s left of our senior year and not let what happens in the Fall effect what’s supposed to be an exciting milestone in our lives right now? Let’s just live in the moment. We still have time.”

But she was right. He couldn’t make her any promises, because he had no intention of continuing their relationship for much longer. All he could muster was not making Betty completely miserable before their senior year was over. He wanted to give her good memories, and to end things in a good place. But it was getting harder and harder to stick to that promise he’d made to himself for her.

He reached across the table and took her hand in his.

“No matter what, I’ll _always_ care about you and you’ll _always_ be important to me.”

The tears were rolling down her cheeks, but she nodded her head.

“Okay, Jug…” She said with a sigh as she tried to put on a confident face.

“We’ll make the most of the time we have. And I’m sorry that I’ve been so selfish. I just…I love you…and I don’t want to lose you. But…I realize that I need to let you do what you need to do. Veronica was right when she said that if I really love you that I should support you. So…that’s what I want to do.”

Jughead smiled at the mention of Veronica as he handed Betty a napkin to wipe her tears before taking her hand in his.

“I appreciate that more than I can ever tell you.” He said, genuinely relieved that she was finally making an effort to accept where life was taking them.

And he was just about to ask her if she’d like to go catch a movie at the Drive-In when the door to Pop’s opened and in walked Veronica and Archie.

His heart nearly stopped when he saw her, looking so heartbreakingly stunning.

He knew right in that moment that he was in love with her. Without any doubt in his mind, he was completely in love with Veronica Lodge.

Jughead watched as Archie glanced in his and Betty’s direction, but steered Veronica to the other side of the diner, obviously wanting Veronica to himself.

He couldn’t stop himself from scowling at Archie’s back as he and Veronica sat at their own booth.

“What’s wrong, Juggy?” Betty asked as she turned to see what Jughead was glaring at.

“Nothing.” Jughead replied as he got his wallet to pay the bill.

“Archie’s just been a bit of a dick lately.”

Betty rolled her eyes.

“You know he’s just trying to act all unemotional over the fact that you and Veronica will be leaving. He’s going to miss you both _so_ much.”

Jughead chuckled icily.

“Yeah, I’m sure that’s all it is.” He said, trying to hide the sarcasm in his voice as he got up and stuck out his hand to help Betty out of her seat.

But he couldn’t help but look over at Veronica, who was talking to Archie with a solemn look on her face. He wondered if she was breaking the news of her acceptance into NYU to Archie just like Jughead had done just moments earlier with Betty.

Suddenly, her eyes flicked up and met Jughead’s, but the expression on her face didn’t change. Jughead knew she had to play it cool, but he wanted more than anything to see her reassuring smile, letting him know she was okay.

Because his heart wouldn’t feel peace until he could hold her again.

\---

 

It always tore at her heart a little more each time when Veronica saw Jughead with Betty.

If only she could hold his hand and smile and be at ease the way Betty could be when she was with him. Veronica envied her best friend with every ounce of her being.

“Veronica?”

Her attention was brought back to Archie, who was looking at her expectantly.

“Um…sorry…” She said, shaking her head from her distraction.

Jughead had looked so pissed off when he’d seen her with Archie, and she hated the way he and Archie had been at odds. There was only one thing she could think to do to help make things better between the best friends.

“So…like I was saying…my application was personally delivered to the director of admissions at NYU and I got a call last night that I’m officially in…” She said with a sigh.

She was beyond excited, but she didn’t want Archie to see just how much. Adding insult to injury was the last thing she wanted to do.

“It’s _real_ , Archie. I’m going to New York at the end of the summer. And…I know it upsets you, and I understand why. But…I need your support.”

She took a deep breath. Moving on from Archie and her life in Riverdale was a big step for her, especially when she had no security in knowing what would happen with Jughead. But for the time being, she just wanted to end her senior year with things being okay between her and Archie. She didn’t want to do anything to mess up what was supposed to be one of the most important times in their lives.

Archie pushed aside his milkshake as he took a deep breath.

“Look, Ronnie…I can’t tell you that I’m happy about you leaving. I just can’t lie about something like that. I love you, and I wanted to see how far we could go together. If we could lead to bigger things. But I realize that what you want and what I want are different. I might not like it, but I accept it. I care about you too much to make you unhappy by being such an ass about what you want for your future. I’m sorry for my lack of support, but now, you have it.”

Veronica almost couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Archie had seemingly done a complete 180, and she was floored.

“But…are you…you really mean all of that?” She asked, still dumbfounded by everything he had said.

Archie nodded emphatically.

“I do, babe. I don’t want to keep arguing and being at odds over this. I want us to have fun. It’s our senior year and we should live it up and not be held down by whatever happens in the future.”

He smiled with the warmest of smiles. A smile she hadn’t seen in a long time as he took her hands in his.

“I’m also sorry for what a jerk I’ve been about Jughead. I guess…to be honest…I was jealous of him. He’s really talented, and he was getting to spend so much time with you. And you seemed to really connect with him in a way that I don’t know that you and I have ever connected. But I’m glad you and Jug have found common ground…that you’re friends.”

There was something about the way Archie spoke about Jughead that Veronica didn’t quite think was sincere, but she wasn’t going to question it. If Archie still had reservations about her and Jughead’s time together, he at least wasn’t going to make it an issue. But it had been obvious that Archie had been jealous, and that being jealous of Jughead didn’t sit right with him. He’d never had a reason to be jealous of Jughead before, and he didn’t want a reason to be jealous of him now.

“Thank you, Archikins. That means _so_ much to me. And I _promise_ that the rest of our senior year will be fantastic. You have my full attention.”

Speaking those words to Archie sealed her fate with Jughead.

After prom, what she and Jughead had together would cease to exist. And even if she hoped they could reconnect at NYU, there was no guarantee of that. Regardless, if she was going to be dedicated to Archie, she couldn’t be involved with Jughead, even though she loved Jughead with every cell in her body.

There were just too many obstacles between them. She knew how Jughead felt about her, but it didn’t help that every minute that they spent apart made her feel a sickening insecurity. She constantly wondered if Betty was finding some way to win him back.

When the two of them had left Pop’s not long after Veronica had arrived with Archie, they had looked so content walking out of the diner hand in hand.

Veronica was sure that Jughead had told Betty about getting his acceptance into NYU, and she wondered how he’d delivered the news to where Betty didn’t seem at all upset. What had he told her, or promised her?

Wondering where she stood with Jughead after any amount of time he spent with Betty was a constant thorn in her side and in her heart.

Jealousy was not an emotion that sat well with Veronica, and she had too much pride.

That night, she lay in her bed thinking about how Jughead had never texted her to meet up. She could only imagine that it meant he was with Betty, laying in Betty’s bed at that very moment.

She didn’t want to create scenarios in her mind, but she couldn’t help it. She was in love with a boy who didn’t really belong to her, and it was the most destructive thing she had ever done to her heart.

\---

 

Jughead stared at his phone, having hoped he’d wake up to some sort of communication from Veronica.

But no such luck.

It tore at his gut wondering what she had told Archie the night before, if she had told him about NYU and how Archie reacted to the news.

He wanted to text her, to make sure she was okay. But all he kept thinking was that she could be laying next to Archie in his bed, or worse, in _her_ bed.

The thought was maddening.

He didn’t want to share her. He wanted Veronica all for himself.

And then he thought about what he had said to Betty. That he just wanted them to enjoy the few weeks that they had left of school. He was tied into something he had only let himself get tied into all in an effort to not hurt Betty anymore than he already had.

Being with Betty meant he couldn’t be with Veronica, and his heart sank with the realization as he got up to get ready for school.

When he arrived in their shared English class, he looked over at her as he took his seat. But she didn’t even glance at him.

He wondered what had happened with Archie. Had Archie done or said something to make her change her mind about him? Jughead was going out of his mind wondering if she still felt something for him. And the thought of being so in love with her while she was falling out of love with him was enough to make him feel as if he would be physically ill at the possibility.

Jughead sighed to himself. He was desperate.

So when the bell rang, he followed several feet behind Veronica until she came to a stop in front of the library.

“Why are you following me?” She asked as she whipped around and glared at him.

“Why aren’t you talking to me?” He asked, not wanting to sound as discouraged as he was.  

Veronica smirked.

“I _am_ talking to you. I’m talking to you right _now_.”

Jughead scowled.

“You know what I mean.”

Veronica swept her hair back over her shoulder as she pursed her lips. It was obvious that she was upset.

“What does it matter? You and your girlfriend seemed to be having a _great_ date night last night. So why should you care if I talk to you?”

Jughead shook his head, frustrated, as he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the stairwell as the tardy bell rang. They would be late for class, but he didn’t care. Veronica was overthinking things, and forgetting how he felt about her. He had to explain.

“Yes, I was on a date with Betty, so I could tell her about NYU. And yes, she’s my girlfriend so she told me that she accepts the fact that I’m going. But despite all of that, you _know_ that it’s _you_ that I want, Veronica. _You_. No one else. But what can we do?”

Veronica swallowed back tears, and he wanted so bad to wrap his arms around her and kiss her until she was smiling in that way that always made his pulse skyrocket. But when he reached for her, she took a step back.

“Did you sleep with her last night?” Veronica asked, finally lifting her eyes to look at him.

Jughead hadn’t expected the question. What he did with Betty or what Veronica did with Archie was not something they spoke about often.

“Why…why does _that_ matter?” He stammered, not sure if there was any way he could get out of answering her question.

But the truth was, he _had_ slept with Betty, but only because he had been so upset with seeing Veronica and Archie together at Pop’s. And only because he knew he had to in order to keep Betty from accusing him of being checked out of their relationship after he’d just told her that they could make the most of their time together.

“Jug…I just…I can’t do this. I…I can’t deal with you being with her. I know you have no other choice…just like I have no other choice than to be with Archie…but…it’s _killing_ me. Every single time I see you two together, I worry about the way it affects how you feel about me.”

He didn’t like where this conversation was going, but he had known it was coming eventually.

“You don’t think I feel the same way, Veronica? Do you think I liked having to know what you did to ‘ _convince’_ Archie that nothing was going on between us? Do you think I enjoy seeing you with him? I’m constantly worried that you’re going to fall back in love with him and only think of _me_ as some kind of phase.”

The hurt look on Veronica’s face made him reach for her, but as she started to go to him, she stopped herself.

“You’re not a phase, Jughead. You could _never_ be a phase.” She said as she closed her eyes and bent her head.

“But that doesn’t mean I can keep doing this.”

Jughead felt as if his heart was being ripped from his chest as she stepped even father out of his grasp.

“It just hurts too much.”

Jughead wanted to argue with her. To tell her that it’s going to hurt regardless. There’s no way that being together or not being together wasn’t going to cause some type of pain to them both.

But he knew it was futile as she turned away from him and opened the door to the stairwell, letting it shut behind her, leaving him alone and in more agony than he’d ever been.

\---

 

“What’s wrong, V?”

Veronica looked up to see Kevin looking at her with a face full of concern as she sat on the gymnasium floor curling ribbon for the prom balloons. They were just days away from the dance, and she had decided to distract herself as much as she could.

But she couldn’t speak, not if she wanted to keep from breaking down in to tears.

Kevin knelt down to sit on the floor beside her.

“Is it about you and Jughead?” He asked quietly so no one could hear him.

Veronica nodded as she continued to curl the ribbon, not looking up.

“Why don’t you both just tell Archie and Betty? Get it over with, and then you two can just be together.”

Veronica took a deep breath.

“It’s not that simple, Kev.” She replied with a heavy sigh.

“It would hurt them too much, and right when our senior year is almost over. I wouldn’t just be hurting Archie, I’d be hurting _Betty_. They mean too much to me, and to Jughead, for us to tell them what’s been going on between us. It’s just not fair, and I already feel awful enough.”

Kevin shook his head as he put a comforting arm around Veronica’s shoulder.

“So, you and Jughead are just going to suffer while Archie and Betty live in ignorance? That doesn’t seem fair to _anyone_ involved. You and Jughead deserve to be happy, and Betty and Archie deserve the chance to get over the hurt and move on.”

Kevin made it sound so easy, but it wasn’t that easy at all. She and Jughead had already made promises to Betty and Archie that they would stay with them, and she knew that they couldn’t go back on those promises. At least, not yet.

“We’ve already hurt them by having plans to leave them to go to New York. Hurting them even _more_ would be too much. We already made a choice. We can’t go back now.”

Kevin sighed as he gave Veronica a disappointed look.

“You do what you think you need to do, but I see the way you and Jughead look at each other. It’s undeniable that there’s something there between the two of you. Something so… _powerful_. It would be a terrible shame to see you two waste that kind of potential. You’re already amazing people on your own…but together? You and Jughead would be one of those _epic_ romances.”

Veronica could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks. She had never been comfortable with crying, and she couldn’t remember the last time she had. But in that moment, she couldn’t hold it back anymore.

She liked the idea that Kevin had, and she wished it could be real. But she had no way of knowing if it ever could.

Her heart was breaking, and the only thing that could fix it was the boy she couldn’t have.

 

To be continued…

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

“Shouldn’t you be at prom?” Sweet Pea asked as he took a seat at the bar of the Whyte Wyrm next to Jughead.

“I mean, you’re dressed for it. Even put the beanie away for the night? You clean up good, Jones.”

Jughead smirked at the rare compliment from Sweet Pea.

“Shouldn’t _you_ be at prom? You’re supposed to be running the sound system and pressing shuffle in the DJ booth.”

Sweet Pea chuckled.

“Literally _anyone_ can press shuffle. I’ll get there when I get there. Besides, I kind of like practically giving Keller a heart attack. He’s already texted me three times. Let’s see how many more I’ll get before I finally make my appearance.”

Sweet Pea signaled to the bartender for a beer while Jughead took another sip of his soda. He had wanted a drink more than anything, but he knew drowning his sorrows in alcohol would make Betty madder than hell on a night that was supposed to be magical. A night she had been waiting all school year for.

“Well, I’m just killing time since I declined the pre-prom dinner with the Coopers and the Andrews. Told Betty I would make it up to her by taking her out for dessert after the dance.” Jughead said flatly.

Sweet Pea chuckled.

“You look like you’d rather face a firing squad than go to a prom. What gives?”

Jughead gave his friend a knowing glance before looking back down at his soda.

“Ah…something to do with the beautiful, brown-eyed princess, huh? Dude, I don’t know _why_ you don’t just dump the blonde and move on with Lodge. It’s so obvious to anyone with at least one good eye that you two are hot for each other. Your boy Archie and your girl Betty are in deep denial if they don’t see it too.”

Jughead sighed. He knew Sweet Pea was right.

It hadn’t mattered how much Veronica and Jughead had tried to act casual around each other or tried to seem disinterested with each other, the chemistry was there.

Everyone had witnessed it when they had played Tony and Maria. They had all seen the way Jughead had kissed Veronica during their scenes. The whispers and gossip had been following him and Veronica for weeks. It was almost as if everyone in the school wanted the two of them to be together just as much as Jughead wanted to be with Veronica.

But he didn’t know what Veronica wanted anymore. She had gone dead silent. No texts, no calls. She wouldn’t even look at him in class or in the hallways. And it was absolute torture.

The thought that she really might be falling back in love with Archie constantly plagued him, and all Jughead had to go on was trying his best to trust what Veronica had said when she had told him that he wasn’t a phase. But even if he still meant something to her, he could never be rest assured.

After all, she wouldn’t talk to him, and it felt as if the only light in his life had been snuffed out.

And there was not a doubt in his mind that he would take having Veronica back in his life over going to NYU, if that’s what it would take. He wanted her more than he wanted anything else.

“Even if I thought I could be that reckless, that heartless, then I would. But I _can’t_ , Pea. And Veronica wouldn’t allow me to anyway. She’s too good. She’s incredible.”

Sweet Pea sighed as he shook his head.

“Seems like such a waste to let a girl like that get away. You know, once she gets up there to New York, some other guy is going to snatch her up. Don’t think for a _second_ she’ll be waiting for you to get off your ass and grow a pair.”

Jughead scowled at his friend and fellow Serpent. He knew Sweet Pea was just trying to get under his skin, to force him to do something instead of letting Veronica get away. Because he was right, some other guy wouldn’t waste a single moment making Veronica his own.

The thought of losing her completely was unbearable. He had to do something, but he had no idea what.

\---

 

“Whoa… _Ronnie_ …I’m…I don’t even know what to say…” Archie stuttered when Veronica opened the door to her apartment, ready for prom.

She had been researching 1950’s prom dresses for weeks and had finally found the perfect one. A light blue dress with a sweetheart neckline and a billowing tulle skirt that went all the way down to her ankles. It was the same color blue as her favorite dress that she had worn in _West Side Story_.

But it was no coincidence that her dress was also the same color as Jughead’s beautiful, penetrating, blue eyes. Eyes that haunted her every night as she slept, unable to stop thinking about him, and unable to stop dreaming about him too.

Her dress was an ode to him, even if she couldn’t be with him.

“You…you just look… _perfect_.”

Archie gazed at her adoringly, but even his sweet compliments and look of amazement didn’t do anything to quell the ache in her chest.

“You look really great, Archie. Very handsome.” She replied, genuinely.

Archie _did_ look great, as if he had walked right off the pages of a 1950’s men’s magazine. But he didn’t make her heart flutter with excitement anymore. He didn’t make her want to hold him all night and ignore everyone else around them. There was someone else that made her feel all of that, but he was going to the prom with someone else.

“Here, I got you this.” Archie said shyly as he took a corsage out of the small box he’d been holding.

It was a beautiful calla lily that had been dyed a baby blue. It was beautiful, and exactly what she would expect Archie to pick out for her. But in her mind, all she could think about were the violets that Jughead had picked for her one night not long ago when they’d been up in Evergreen Forest.

She had cherished them so much that she had saved them by pressing them in between the pages of her journal. And she would never forget the look on Jughead’s face when he’d given them to her, knowing that those sorts of sentimental customs weren’t really his thing. Regardless, he had smiled so sweetly at her before kissing her on the cheek.

“I know you like this color, so I thought you might like the flower too.” He’d said when he’d handed the purple hued flowers to her.

Veronica had wrapped her arms around him, kissing him tenderly on the lips, her heart beating wildly at the gesture.

“If someone had told me a year ago that Jughead Jones would someday give me a bouquet of violets, I would have laughed them right out of Riverdale.”

Jughead had chuckled, nodding.

“I would have probably done the same. But…things change…”

Veronica sighed at the memory, forgetting where she was for a minute, which Archie had taken as her being unhappy with his flower choice.

“No, Archie! It’s lovely. I love it. I _really_ do.” She assured him.

The two stood in the entryway of Veronica’s apartment, posing for pictures that Hermione took with her fancy digital camera before switching to her cell phone, all while Hiram looked on, a protective father expression on his face.

“I’ll text some photos to your parents, Archie.” Hermione said as Veronica and Archie got ready to leave.

“Be home early.” Hiram tacked on.

Veronica rolled her eyes as she smiled at Archie.

“Do they really want you home early? What about Cheryl’s party?” Archie asked as he looked back at the apartment door where the Lodge’s stood watching Veronica and her prom date while they made their way to the elevator.

“It’s my senior prom. They’ll forgive me.” She replied with a chuckle.

But when it came down to it, Veronica couldn’t wait for prom to be over so she could just go home and crawl into bed. She was in the mood to wallow, not dance. As it was, her heart was barely functioning from the pain it was enduring.

Pain she couldn’t let Archie see, and hoped he wouldn’t notice. She owed him a wonderful night, and she wanted to see it through.

\---

 

For being the kind of person who wanted little to nothing to do with dances, Jughead couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at how impressive the gymnasium looked when he and Betty walked in.

“Wow! It looks so _awesome_! I had no _idea_ Kevin had put so much effort into the decorations!” Betty exclaimed as she looked all around the gym.

Jughead nodded in agreement. It really did look amazing and he used the decorations as his cover for looking around for Veronica. He wanted to see her, no matter how much it might break his heart.

“Actually, Veronica did most of it. But I should have known that girl had a talent for interior design. She’s pretty incredible, isn't she?” Fangs asked as he walked up beside them.

Jughead shot a look at his friend, wondering just how much Kevin or Sweet Pea had told him about Jughead and Veronica’s situation with each other. But the knowing grin on Fangs' face was a total giveaway that he knew _something_.

“She’s definitely multi-talented, that’s for sure.” Betty replied with a nod, forcing a smile at the mention of Veronica.

Jughead cleared his throat as he motioned for Fangs to leave them alone.

“Want me to get us something to drink?” He asked Betty as he straightened his tie.

“That would be great, Juggy. I’ll go grab us a seat at Ethel’s table.”

Jughead nodded before heading off toward the refreshment tables on the other side of the gym, but he hadn’t gotten far when his eyes suddenly caught the glimpse of a blue dress and dark hair over by the jukebox he had hauled from the Whyte Wyrm.

He looked again, walking closer, the bodies on the dance floor parting just enough to allow him to see Veronica, looking absolutely breathtakingly in her blue prom dress.

He clutched his chest as he stared at her, his eyes taking in every curve and angle, drinking her in.

He was completely spellbound.

And when her eyes met his, he felt his whole body go weak as his heart roared inside his chest.

He had no idea how long they had been standing there gazing at each other when the sound of Principal Weatherbee’s voice was suddenly coming from the speakers.

Everyone turned to look up at the stage, including Veronica.

“And now it’s time to announce this year’s prom king and queen. Drum roll, please!” Weatherbee said as he turned to Sweet Pea who was sitting behind a drum set waiting for his cue.

But Jughead was barely listening, still unable to take his eyes off Veronica.

“Ladies and gentlemen, your prom queen is…Veronica Lodge!”

The whole gymnasium erupted in claps an cheers as Veronica shook her head in disbelief. Jughead swallowed hard as Archie kissed her and urged her to go onto the stage to be crowned. He couldn’t have been more jealous of the redhead. And not because Archie was the date of the prom queen, but because he was there with Veronica, the most amazing girl he had ever known.

Regardless of his misfortune, Jughead couldn’t stop from smiling as Veronica stood on the stage, waving at their fellow classmates, looking so overwhelmed by all the love she was receiving back from the crowd.

She deserved the applause. It just proved how much everyone else loved her too.

“And now…to announce your prom king…” Weatherbee continued as he opened a second envelope.

“Your prom king is…Jughead Jones!”

Suddenly Jughead was being clapped on the back, excited faces surrounding him, urging him to join Veronica on the stage.

Jughead looked up to see Veronica smiling at him, a smile he had been dying for. He wanted to get up on that stage as quickly as he could, even if he didn’t feel he deserved to be prom king at all, and wondered how in the world he’d won the title in the first place.

“Please give another round of applause for this year’s Riverdale High School prom king and queen. Jughead Jones and Veronica Lodge!” Kevin said as he took the microphone from Weatherbee.

Jughead looked over at Veronica as the crown was placed on his head. He had never wanted to kiss a girl as badly as he wanted to kiss Veronica right then, especially when she was smiling at him so proudly.

But knowing that he couldn’t kiss her in front of everyone like he had done during the play, was one of the most difficult things he had ever experienced in his entire life.

She was certainly his queen, but he couldn’t show the world.

“And now, it’s time for the spotlight dance for our king and queen!” Kevin said before motioning to Sweet Pea, who was now standing at the DJ booth.

Jughead couldn’t remember if he and Veronica had picked a song for the spotlight dance, but when “We Belong Together” by Ritchie Valens began to play, he realized that the song hadn’t been picked by them at all. It had been picked _for_ them.

“What’s Keller trying to do?” Jughead asked Veronica as he took her hand in his before wrapping an arm around her waist.

Veronica shook her head.

“He thinks we should tell Betty and Archie the truth…and he also thinks that you and I should just be together.”

Jughead chuckled.

“So now he  _wants_ us to be together? I thought he was against it.”

But Veronica shrugged as she followed Jughead’s lead as he danced with her on the stage, the bright spotlight shining on them but neither one of them the least bit aware of it.

“I guess seeing me so miserable lately has changed his mind.” She said as she finally looked up into Jughead’s eyes.

Jughead sighed as he looked into her chocolate brown eyes.

“Damn it, Veronica…I miss you so _goddamn_ much.”

Veronica smiled weakly, as if she was trying not to cry.

“I miss you too, Jug.”

Just at that moment, the song ended, and the spotlight was suddenly shut off as the next song began to play.

“It’s our song.” Veronica said, her eyes suddenly lighting up and a devious grin forming on her lips as “I Only Have Eyes for You” began to play.

It had been the first song Veronica had played the night Jughead had shown her the jukebox in the storage room that had no lock on the door. The night they had been so daring by making love without knowing if they would be caught or not. It was the night that Jughead had realized just how much Veronica was beginning to mean to him.

He would never forget that night, and he would never be able to hear that song without thinking about the girl he loved.

“I don’t want to stop dancing with you.” Jughead told her as he held her closer.

Veronica sighed.

“Then don’t.”

Jughead’s heart raced, knowing he had more to tell her. Something she needed to hear before the song ended and they had to go back to the people that they were supposed to be at prom with.

But before he could say anything, Veronica put her head on his shoulder.

“I love you, Jughead.” She said softly.

Jughead could swear his heart had stopped beating, and if it had, and if he died, he would die happier than he had ever been in his entire life.

Hearing how sweet those three words sounded coming from Veronica’s gorgeous mouth was everything to him. He needed nothing else to sustain him. Veronica’s love was enough.

His heart was still pounding furiously as he rested his head on hers.

“I love you too, Veronica…and I always will.”

\---

 

Betty crossed her arms as she looked up at the stage. The spotlight dance was over, but Jughead was still dancing with Veronica.

The fact that he was dancing at _all_ infuriated her. Jughead had never danced with her in all the years they had been together. Not once.

She wanted to yell for them to stop, but she knew she couldn’t. She wanted to go up onto the stage and remind Jughead that _she_ was the one he should be dancing with, that he was making her look like a fool.

Betty knew about all the rumors, the whispers of people wanting to Jughead and Veronica to be together. And she had been disgusted by how insensitive people were being to her by wanting her boyfriend to be with a different girl.

She was insulted and hurt and Jughead was only making it worse by feeding into it by the way he was holding Veronica.

“They're making us look ridiculous. Why are they still up there?” Archie asked as he stood next to Betty, watching his girlfriend and best friend with a scowl on his face.

Betty shook her head.

“I have no idea.”

But Archie scoffed.

“Really, Betty? You haven’t at all wondered if _something_ has been going on with them all this time?” Archie asked as he eyed her curiously.

Betty sighed heavily.

“Okay…so I have…but I was kind of hoping I was wrong.”

Archie chuckled sarcastically.

“I don’t think we’re wrong.”

Just then, Kevin and Sweet Pea walked up, having caught the tail-end of the conversation.

“You’re not wrong at all, Andrews. Those two are _definitely_ in love with each other, and you both should have admitted it to yourselves a long time ago.” Sweet Pea said with a satisfied smirk.

Archie and Betty glared at the Serpent who had seemed to take pure delight in annoying them.

“In _love_? Whatever…” Betty replied as she felt her face beginning to get warm in the way it always did when she was trying to not get upset.

She didn’t want to think Sweet Pea was right, but if he was, so many things would finally make sense.

“Oh come on, Betty. _Everyone_ sees it. But you and Archie have been so determined to hold onto the two of them that you’ve become blind to what’s going on right in front of your faces.” Kevin chimed in, clearly frustrated with the whole situation.

Archie clenched his jaw as he glanced back up at the stage where Veronica and Jughead were dancing as if they were the only two people in the whole world, as if there weren’t hundreds of people on the gymnasium floor dancing and watching them. As if Archie and Betty weren’t there watching them too.

“If they’re _so_ in _love_ then why aren’t they together?” Betty asked, not yet ready to admit that what Kevin had just said was the truth.

Kevin sighed as she shook his head.

“Because they are trying to the noble thing, the _right_ thing, by refusing to be together all because they don’t want to hurt the two of _you_. You and Archie mean so _much_ to them. They already feel bad enough about leaving to go to NYU. They don’t want to cause you anymore pain. So, they are denying how they feel about each other all in an effort to make you two happy.”

Betty looked at Archie, feeling an overwhelming sadness and defeat at the realization that she may no longer hold Jughead's heart in her hands the way she had for so long.

“What are we going to do, Arch?” She asked him, doing her best to keep the tears away until she could be alone.

As much as she wanted to deny it, she had known that there was a reason why Jughead had been so different lately, so disconnected. And only at that very moment could she finally admit that the reason came in the form of her best friend, Veronica.

Archie sighed as he dropped his head to his chest, shaking his head.

But then he suddenly looked up at her, his face full of resolve.

“I don’t want to let go, Betty. I don’t want to give up. Not yet.”

 

To be continued…

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

“Wow…prom king and queen…that was…unexpected.” Betty said with a forced smile on her face.

Veronica touched her crown, smiling bashfully, unable to look Betty in the eye.

“Yeah, I guess everyone just wanted to keep _West Side Story_ going…or something…” Jughead replied, making an attempt to shrug off the whole thing.

But no matter how he and Veronica might try to play it off, it was obvious that they had been chosen as the prom king and prom queen for a reason. And that reason had everything to do with everyone in school wanting the two of them to be together. Everyone but Archie and Betty.

It was what Veronica wanted too, even if it couldn’t happen.

She knew that it wasn’t the smartest thing in the world to tell Jughead she loved him right in the middle of prom, especially when they were supposed to be staying away from each other, but being smart didn’t seem to hold a place when you were in love and you wanted the person you loved to know how you felt.

He looked so handsome, but so troubled when she had seen him in the middle of the dance floor. He had just been standing there, and he’d been watching her. She was mesmerized by him, overcome with emotion by how much she loved him.

Veronica hadn’t expected that she would actually get to dance with Jughead at prom. She had just wanted to get through it and be able to leave as soon as she was able to convince Archie that she was ready to go.

But then Principal Weatherbee had called her name, and she was being guided to the stage. Then only minutes after being crowned queen, Jughead was joining her. It was as if a dream had come true. A dream she hadn’t even dared to have.

And while the two danced, she couldn’t let the moment pass by without telling Jughead the truth about how she felt.

She didn’t care if it was the last thing she should be saying to him, she didn’t care who might see it in the way she touched him or looked at him. She loved Jughead, and she couldn’t let another second go by without him knowing it.

Then he told her that he loved her too.

Veronica could hardly believe it. Jughead loved her, and no matter how sad she was over not being with him, knowing he loved her was all she needed to know. She wouldn’t worry anymore about losing his heart to Betty, because not only had she heard the sincerity in his words, but she could hear his heart beating as she lay her head on his chest.

It was real. Jughead’s love was above anything else. It was above being Maria in the school play, winning prom queen. It was even above getting into NYU.

She would take having Jughead’s love over anything else. No question.

“Well, I’d like to have my girlfriend for the rest of prom, if you don’t _mind_ , Jughead.” Archie said with a formidable look on his face.

Jughead glowered at his friend. Veronica had thought Archie had moved on from his anger and jealousy towards Jughead. But after the way she and Jughead had danced together, the anger and jealousy was back full force.

She sighed, feeling awful, but realizing that it was getting harder and harder to hide how she felt about Jughead, and that Archie had every reason to be upset.

But regardless, Archie didn’t seem ready to give up, no matter how obvious it had been.

“Yeah…sure…” Jughead replied as he took Betty’s hand, remembering that he had his own date to be with.

The two couples went in separate directions, but Veronica’s heart and mind were still with Jughead.

She had made a promise to Archie, a promise that she wanted more than anything to keep. But it was getting harder and harder to find reasons why she should.

\---

 

“We can skip the party. I’m not really in the mood anyway.” Betty said as she and Jughead rode in FP’s truck towards Cheryl’s house for the prom afterparty.

Jughead knew Veronica and Archie were on their way to the party too, and he had to see her. He couldn’t handle the thought of going home while she was at a party with Archie.

Because even though Archie was her date, and still her boyfriend, in Jughead’s mind, Veronica was _his_ girl. No matter what Archie said or thought.

“We should probably make an appearance, though. I mean, it wouldn’t be right for the prom king to not show up.” He said with a teasing grin.

But Betty didn’t return his smile.

“Since when do you care _anything_ about parties and being prom king?” She asked, suspiciously.

Jughead sighed. He couldn’t tell her the truth without ruining the whole night for her even more than he already had.

It was clear that Betty was finally seeing things for what they were. She had seen the way Jughead and Veronica had danced on the stage together. She had seen how they had been whispering to each other, even if she had no idea that Jughead and Veronica had been confessing their love to one another.

The look on her face when he and Veronica had finally joined her and Archie back on the gymnasium floor had said it all.

She knew that things weren’t the same, and they never would be ever again.

“I’m just trying to make the most of our last dance in high school, Betts.” He replied.

But Betty shook her head.

“No, Juggy. You’re trying to see Veronica. To keep your eyes on her while she’s with Archie. Because...you love her.”

Jughead swallowed hard, wincing, not having expected Betty to confront him, but almost relieved that she had.

“What makes you think that?” He said, not denying it but willing to make one last attempt at making her think they could still last through the end of the school year.

Betty sighed as she fidgeted with the button on her clutch.

“Because of how you two seem to light up whenever you’re near each other. The way you were dancing together at prom. The way you can’t take your eyes off of her every time she’s around. And then there’s the fact that Kevin and Sweet Pea both said so.”

Jughead stared straight ahead as he turned into Cheryl’s long, winding driveway.

“I think…well…I _know_ I’ve been in denial about the connection you and Veronica have had for a lot longer than just being in the play together. I just didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to believe that I was losing you. And I really didn't want to think that I was losing you to my best friend.”

Jughead handed Betty the handkerchief he had in his tux pocket as she tried to keep her tears from rolling down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Betty.” He said quietly, feeling awful about the timing of the truth finally coming to light.

But Betty was quiet for a while as Jughead parked the truck and the two sat, watching as their classmates made their way inside the Blossom mansion.

“Does she love you too?” Betty finally asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Jughead nodded.

“She does.”

Hurting Betty felt like the sharpest of knives going into his gut, but he didn’t want to lie to her anymore. He knew she deserved the truth, as she had always deserved the truth. Now, he could finally give it to her.

“I understand that it’s over between us, Jug…I don’t want it to be, but I know I don’t have a choice if you’re heart is with Veronica. I'm not going to put up a fight because I know that there is just no point. But…Archie doesn’t want to give up. He’s not going to make it easy on the two of you.”

Jughead sighed, shaking his head.

“I know. But I’ll handle it. And…I’m sorry for everything, Betty. I never wanted to hurt you. I never planned to. I wanted to try to hang in and make this work…”

But Betty suddenly cut him off.

“Jughead…there’s nothing you can say that will make me feel better right now. I know you didn’t want to hurt me, but you did. You’ve hurt me more than anyone ever has. But I don’t want you to stay in a relationship with me if it’s not what you really want. That’s not fair to either of us, and I know you _know_ that. I mean, Jug…I appreciate that you wanted to try, even though you knew things wouldn’t work between us once you went off to NYU, but you also have to be true to yourself. Being true to who you are is one of the reasons why I love you. Don’t ever lose that part of yourself just because you think you need to do the right thing. Doing something that is the opposite of what your heart really wants…that’s never the right thing.”

Jughead sighed as he sat back in the truck cab and loosened his tie.

“I’m sorry Betty…I’ll always be sorry. I never thought things would end this way…I never wanted it to end this way.”

Betty nodded as she wiped away the remaining tears and tried to put on a brave smile.

“I know you didn’t. But I’ll be okay. In the meantime, let’s just go to this party and try to enjoy the rest of the night. And don’t get mad if I get wasted. I think I earned it.” She said with a weak chuckle.

She was right, and Jughead wore the guilt he felt like a blanket as he and Betty made their way into the party. He felt like he should devote his attention to her, but within minutes of walking through the front door, Betty had bolted for the rec room where everyone was playing billiards and darts.

He watched as she grabbed a beer from Reggie and made her way over to a corner where Josie, Melody and Valerie were hanging out.

Betty obviously didn’t want to think about him or be around him for the rest of the night, and Jughead contemplated just leaving the party altogether. That maybe the lack of his presence would help her to enjoy her night a hell of a lot more.

But then he thought about Veronica, and he knew he couldn’t leave. He wouldn’t leave until Archie was ready to take her home, and even then, he would follow behind to make sure she got home safely. He knew it was selfish of him, but his heart was ruling over his mind. 

Jughead wandered through the rooms of the expansive estate, searching the clumps of fellow partygoers for Veronica. He had been just about ready to give up and leave when he finally spotted her out by the pool, a blue drink in her hand that matched her dress. And Archie was nowhere around.

He walked out to the opposite side of the pool from where she stood, waiting for her to notice him. And when she did, he turned and walked back inside, not needing to even turn around to know that Veronica was following him.

“We should talk.” Jughead said once he’d led her to a small room that was hidden away underneath a back staircase.

She looked so gorgeous, and his pulse raced as Veronica closed the door behind her before turning on a small lamp.

“Great spot for talking. This is Cheryl’s study room. Obviously she doesn’t go in here much based on her current GPA.” Veronica joked.

Jughead chuckled.

“It’s a great spot for me to tell you that I’m officially single. Betty and I broke up on the way here.”

Veronica’s eyes widened with shock.

“What? _Why_? What happened?” She asked, a panicked sound in her voice.

Jughead shrugged.

“She knows how I feel about you…and how _you_ feel about _me_. Kevin and Sweet Pea told her and Archie.”

Veronica put a hand to her heart, a solemn look covering her face.

“Oh, Jug…I’m sorry.”

But Jughead shook his head.

“I’m not. I mean…I feel awful about hurting Betty. It _kills_ me to know I’ve caused her pain. But I’m not sorry that she and Archie know the truth. I love you, Veronica. And that’s not something we can try to ignore anymore.

He watched as Veronica sat down on the red velvet loveseat, her hand still on her chest, still processing what he'd told her. He sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms.

“She said Archie isn’t ready to give up, but I’m not really sure why he’s trying to fight a battle he’s already lost.”

Veronica chuckled ruefully.

“His ego is hanging on by a thread, Jug. He can’t handle the thought of losing me to NYU _and_ to you. It’s messing with him. I think I need to just…end it now. I love you so much, and I am ready to be with you. I don’t want to hurt him, but if he already knows how you and I feel about each other, then I need him to walk away with his pride intact, and not foolishly try to force something that’s just… _over_.”

Jughead felt an elated relief in his chest at her words. Finally, she could be his.

“Do you want to go talk to him now?” Jughead asked as he started to stand up.

But Veronica chuckled as she took his hand and brought him back down to the loveseat.

“You’re ready for it to be official, huh?” She asked teasingly.

Jughead nodded his head vigorously.

"Fuck yes." He replied, making Veronica laugh.

The sooner Veronica was his, the better.

“Well, first, I think we should take advantage of this cute, little room, with no one else around.” She murmured as she climbed onto his lap.

Jughead felt his cock immediately harden at the way she was looking at him, so seductive and animalistic. Her hands quickly undid his pants, pushing them down just enough so they could be skin to skin.

“ _Fuck_ …you’re not wearing panties…” Jughead groaned as she took his cock in her hand and guided him into her.

Veronica flashed him a devilish grin.

“I didn’t wear a bra either…you know…just in case we actually got to have some time alone tonight. I wanted you to have easy access to me.” She said in between breathless sighs as her body ground against his.

“Always prepared for anything, huh Lodge?” He asked, his voice low with desire for the beautiful woman on his lap.

Veronica smirked sexily. It felt so good to be inside of her that he wasn't sure how long he could keep himself from coming. She was unbelievable.

“You know me, Jones…I’m a sucker for your body and I’ll find _any_ way I can to have it.”

Jughead’s heart clamored wildly in his chest, still finding it hard to believe how much Veronica Lodge, the prom queen and star actress of Riverdale, wanted him and only him.

Jughead groaned again as he splayed his hands over her bottom and pulled her closer, allowing him to go deeper.

“Oh!” She yelped at the feel of him buried so deeply inside of her.

“Right there… _yes_ …that’s…oh… _Jughead_ …you feel so _good_ …” She moaned, her head buried in his neck as she pulled down the bodice of her dress.

She took his hand and guided it to her exposed breasts.

“Touch me…” She whispered.

Jughead didn’t hesitate as he cupped her breast, running his thumb over the pink tip as she bit her bottom lip.

“God, I missed this… _please_ …Veronica…don’t ever make me miss you like that ever again…” Jughead sighed in between kisses along her jawline and then her lips.

Kissing her was like coming home. Her mouth was perfect against his, and he knew he would never be able to get enough of her.

“I _promise_ …because I can’t live without you, Jug…”

They made love in the dim light of that small, study room with no interruptions and no concept of what time it was as Jughead made her come for the dozenth time.

This was all he ever wanted, to be with Veronica like this, open and honest about their love, and able to show each other without any obstacles in their way.

“My legs feel like jelly.” Veronica said with a laugh as she straightened her dress and checked her hair in a mirror on the wall by the door.

“Mission accomplished then.” Jughead replied as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Veronica turned to look at him, smiling as her eyes sparkled.

“I love you so much.” She said before pressing her lips to his.

She was still smiling when they pulled away as he smiled back.

“I love you more.”

 

 

To be continued...


	13. Chapter 13

Veronica’s heart was still racing as she and Jughead walked out of the study room hand in hand, ready to rejoin the party that was still in full swing.

But as they turned the corner to head back into the game room, they were faced with a furious looking Archie, his chest puffed out, his hands balled into fists.

“Where the _fuck_ have you two been?” His voice boomed, causing the whole room to grow quiet as everyone’s heads turned in their direction.

“Archie…relax, man. Don’t do this here.” Jughead said as he put up his hands, trying his best to calm his best friend since birth.

“Relax?” Archie asked with a sarcastic laugh.

“You want me to _relax_ when I’m pretty damn sure you just spent the last hour fucking _my_ girlfriend?”

The collective sound of shocked gasps filled the room.

Veronica’s heart was in her throat. She should have predicted this, she should have known that a confrontation was imminent before the night was over. But she had been too wrapped up in Jughead, too lost in her own little world with him, that she hadn’t been thinking straight.

And now they would have to face Archie while half of the senior class watched, thoroughly entertained by the real-life drama unfolding in front of them.

It was almost comical how life was imitating art. That Jughead and Veronica’s secret romance was playing out just like Maria and Tony’s. If she was just a spectator, she might have found it to be just as scandalous and exciting as everyone else who was witnessing it.

But seeing the look of guilt on Jughead’s face coupled with the look of betrayal on Archie’s made her feel sick to her stomach, her face hot with apprehension and fear.

“Archie, please…let’s talk somewhere else.” Veronica pleaded as she held out her hand to Archie, offering it as a means to coax him away from the party, to put a stop to the scene he was causing.

But Archie shook his head as he sucked in a deep breath as if he had lost all the air in his lungs.

“No… _talking_ won’t make me feel as good as this will.”

All of a sudden, as if in slow motion, Archie pulled back his arm before shooting his fist forward, connecting it to Jughead’s jaw.

“Jughead!” Veronica yelped as she watched him stumble backwards from the punch to his face.

Out of nowhere, Betty was beside Veronica, trying to catch Jughead from the opposite side so he wouldn’t fall to the floor.

It wasn’t lost on Archie that the two girls were helping Jughead because they both loved him, and it only seemed to make Archie even angrier.

“You don’t deserve either _one_ of them, you piece of trailer park _shit_.” Archie seethed as he lunged for Jughead, despite Veronica and Betty’s best efforts to protect him.

“Stop it, Archie! This is _not_ the way to solve anything!” Betty shouted as she attempted to pull Archie off of Jughead, who Archie had slammed up against the wall, holding Jughead by the collar of his tux.

“Don’t do this, Archie!” Veronica chimed in as she tried to pull Jughead out of Archie’s grasp.

But Jughead shook his head.

“Stop. Just let him. I deserve it.” Jughead said calmly as he kept his arms to his side, not at all trying to fight back.

Archie glared at Jughead before releasing him from his grip.

Veronica started to breath a sigh of relief until she watched in horror as Archie pulled his arm back again before landing a hard hit right in Jughead’s stomach with one fist while punching Jughead in the ribs with the other.

Archie pummeled Jughead in face next, losing all control of himself as he made Jughead into his own, personal punching bag, all while Jughead just stood there, taking every single hit to his body, not doing anything to defend himself.

“Somebody _do_ something!” Veronica screamed, panicked and sobbing from what she was witnessing right before her eyes.

She knew Jughead was perfectly capable of fighting back, while also coming out of it practically unscathed. He had been a Serpent long enough to know how to handle a battle, whether it be with fists or weapons. But his guilt and love towards Archie was stronger than the instinct to fight back, and it only made her love Jughead even more.

Regardless, she pleaded with Jughead to stand up and fight while her heart broke over and over with each punch. Watching Jughead sacrifice himself was the last thing she ever wanted, and she hated herself for being responsible for what Jughead was suffering through.

Still, she did the only thing she could think to do as she wrapped her arms around Archie’s waist and pushed her feet into the carpeted floor, desperate to pull him away from Jughead. But Archie was just too strong, too full of rage, and she couldn’t budge him.

“Reggie, Moose, Kevin! _Stop_ him!” Betty pleaded as she grabbed onto one of Archie’s arms.

She wasn’t getting anywhere either, and the feeling of being completely helpless was heartbreaking as Jughead continued to take the beating, too guilt-ridden to stop Archie himself.

And by the time the other guys came running up to pull Archie off of Jughead, it was too late anyway. Jughead slumped to the floor, bruised and bleeding. The scene horrific as Veronica dropped down onto her knees next to him, trying to wipe the blood from his face with her hands.

“Jughead…baby…we need to get you to a hospital.” She said quietly as tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

“Call an ambulance!” She heard someone yell, she didn’t know who, but after what seemed like forever, she could hear the sirens in the distance as Jughead’s head lay on her lap.

“He’ll be okay…he’ll be fine…” She heard Betty’s voice saying, but Veronica wasn’t sure Betty was as convinced as she tried to sound.

Veronica didn’t see or notice anything else around her as her eyes stayed locked onto Jughead as he was loaded onto a stretcher, the paramedics asking her questions that Cheryl had to answer for her.

She was trying to be brave for Jughead, who had closed his eyes and gone silent moments before the ambulance had arrived.

“He’s breathing. He’ll be okay.” One of the paramedics said to her as she put a hand on Veronica’s shoulder.

Veronica nodded.

“I’ll be right behind you, baby.” Veronica said softly as she leaned down and spoke into Jughead’s blood-crusted ear.

“I love you.”

She followed the stretcher all the way to the ambulance, watching as they loaded the love of her life into it. She took a deep breath as the doors closed, doing her best to not allow a fresh set of tears keep her from staying strong for Jughead. She had to keep a level head. She had to show everyone that nothing would get in the way of what she felt for the man she loved. That what they had just experienced wouldn’t break her, and it wouldn’t break Jughead either.

As much as she cared about Archie, she was madder than hell at him, and he would soon face her wrath.

“Want me to drive you to the hospital?” Kevin asked quietly as he stood next to her, watching as the ambulance drove away.

She squared her shoulders as she took a few steps forward, lifting her chin before she turned around to face Kevin, Betty, and the few handfuls of classmates that had stayed through the whole scene to give the police officers a statement on what they had witnessed.

“I need to make a stop first.” She said as she squinted her eyes and clenched her jaw.

“Where is Archie Andrews?”

\---

 

Jughead woke up with the worst headache of his life. He would take a hangover any day over this.

He tried to focus on his whereabouts but he couldn’t see out of his left eye, and the other he could barely see out of either.

But then he suddenly felt the pain…pain throughout his whole stomach and ribs and chest. What had happened? Was he dead?

The surge of panic that hit him out of nowhere made it hard for him to take a breath, and the beeping sound next to him started to beep faster. He wanted to run, but he couldn’t. He was helpless, but then he felt a familiar hand grab his.

“It’s okay, Juggy. You’re at Riverdale Hospital. Do you remember anything?”

The sound of Betty’s voice calmed him just enough for him to nod his head.

“Archie…”

The sound of his own weak, gravelly voice shocked him. He wondered how many hours it had been since he had been laying on Veronica’s lap, her beautiful blue dress soaked with blood, before everything went dark.

Veronica. Where was Veronica? Was she okay? He turned his head towards Betty, the movement making him groan.

“Veronica is on her way. She…she’s very…angry. She went to go confront Archie.”

The beeping on the monitor sped up again as he shook his head, ignoring how much it hurt.

“No! I…I have to…s-s-stop her…”

But he heard Betty sigh.

“You can’t, Jug. You’re in bad shape. Archie went absolutely _insane_. I’ve never seen him that angry before. It was…it was really _terrifying_.”

Jughead sighed heavily, wishing like hell he could move without feeling the intense, brutal pain in his gut.

“She can’t…” But before he could try to finish his sentence, Betty stopped him.

“She’s not alone. Kevin and Sweet Pea went with her. She asked me to sit with you until she arrives.”

She paused as she stood up and paced the room, obviously nervous about Veronica’s quest.

“Veronica really _does_ love you, Jughead…more than I realized. She was fighting so hard to get Archie off of you. She…she was… _amazing_. The way she held you…the way she watched every single move the paramedics made. As much as I wanted to believe that she was just being selfish and unrealistic, that she couldn’t possibly love you the way you deserve…I realized that I was wrong. And now she’s being so brave, wanting to avenge you. It’s…it’s like she’s a whole new Veronica. A better Veronica. And all because of you.”

Jughead had never been one to cry. He could count on one hand how many times in his life that he had actually wiped his own tears away, but after what had just happened, and with what Betty had just said to him, he realized that things could have been a lot worse. He suddenly felt a guilt unlike any other he’d felt before, and the tears spilled down his beaten face.

Betty didn’t say anything else as she took his hand in hers, offering the only type of comfort that she could.

Jughead was beyond grateful to her, but he wouldn’t feel at peace until he saw Veronica, and told her how sorry he was for the nightmare he had just put her through. A nightmare that he swore he would never put her through again.

\---

 

The Andrews house was completely dark as Veronica stomped up the porch steps to the front door.

She wasn’t fooled. She knew from more than one source that after Jughead had slumped to the floor, so badly beaten by Archie that he could no longer stand, that Archie had taken off in a panicked frenzy.

And he’d been hiding in his house ever since.

“Open the damn door, Archie!” Veronica shouted at she pounded on the door with both of her fists.

Kevin and Sweet Pea stood behind her, insisting they come with her to confront the boy she had once loved, but now considered her ex, and possibly even her enemy.

“Don’t allow your anger to cause you to do something stupid.” Sweet Pea had warned her on the drive over.

She had nodded, understanding what he was saying. She wasn’t going with the intent to be foolish. She couldn’t afford to be. Jughead needed her.

But at the same time, she was spitting angry and filled with the need to tell Archie face-to-face, once and for all, that it was over between them. And now she could do it without feeling the level of guilt she would have felt if it hadn’t been for the violent beatdown Archie had given Jughead.

“Open the door _now_!” She screeched again, furious to find that Archie might not actually have the guts to face her.

Veronica hit the door again with her hand, but was quickly reminded of the hits that Jughead had taken over and over again while she had stood there feeling completely useless, agonizing over the fact that she could lose Jughead. And all because she had tried to do the right thing while doing the wrong thing.

She was just about to ask Kevin and Sweet Pea what she should do now, when the front door suddenly creaked open.

Archie gave her a startled look as he stood in front of her.

“Veronica…”

The apologetic way he said her name didn’t even make her flinch. She was too angry, too hurt to let him get away with what he’d done.

And seeing his face free of any cuts or bruises while Jughead’s face was full of them, only enraged her more.

“How fucking _dare_ you leave the way you did. Like a damn _coward_!” She spat as she pushed the door open and forced her way inside.

Archie stood back, with that same stunned look on his face as Sweet Pea and Kevin filed in behind her.

She understood why the two boys had come with her, but she wished they would have just stayed outside. It would have made it a lot easier to do what she had come there to do.

“Jughead is at the hospital because of you! What the _hell_ is wrong with you?”

Archie hung his head as he shrugged his shoulders.

“I…I don’t know, Veronica…I don’t know what came over me…I just…I didn’t want to lose you…”

He looked pathetic, as mentally beaten as Jughead was physically. But she had no sympathy for Archie Andrews, not anymore.

“Well, you lost me. I’m _gone_. We’re _done_. _Forever_. You could have _killed_ Jughead. Do you realize that? You could have killed the man I _love_.”

Hot tears rolled down her cheeks but she kept glaring at Archie. She would never feel anything but pure rage towards him ever again, for as long as she lived.

Archie let out a heavy sigh as he looked up at her.

“He could have fought back.” Archie replied, as if he wasn’t completely to blame for what had taken place right before her eyes.

Veronica looked at him as if he’d lost his mind.

“Are you serious right now? Jughead felt so fucking guilty for what we’d done that he felt he _deserved_ what you did to him. He wasn’t going to hit you back. He loves you! You’re his _best_ _friend_! Regardless of how he may have betrayed you, he did _not_ deserve what you did to him, and you _know_ it.” She seethed through clenched teeth.

She almost felt as if she didn’t even know Archie anymore, because the Archie that she had known and loved for over two years would never have done what he had done, and he never would have tried to pass off blame onto someone else either.

Archie shrugged again.

“He stole you from me. I was angry. I shouldn’t have hurt him that much…I realize that…but what do you want me to do, Veronica? I can’t take it back.”

Veronica stared at him, the anger bubbling up inside of her to a dangerous, unrelenting level. Archie wasn’t nearly as remorseful as she had thought he might be.

She could admit that what she and Jughead had done was wrong, but the punishment that had been doled out to her and Jughead didn’t seem to fit the crime, but Archie still seemed to feel justified regardless.

“You know what I want you to do?” She asked as she reached into the pocket of Jughead’s Serpent jacket that she had taken from FP’s truck before she’d left Cheryl’s house.

“I want _you_ to suffer the way _Jughead_ is suffering!”

Suddenly, she had pulled out Jughead’s switchblade, holding it in her hand like she had seen done only in the movies.

“Veronica! What the hell?!” She heard Kevin gasp behind her.

Her heart was pounding wildly in her ears, adrenaline coursing throughout every vein in her body as she stepped closer to Archie until he was backed up against the front door, staring at her with a look of absolute horror covering his face.

“Veronica…don’t do this. Think about Jughead. This is not what he would want.” Sweet Pea commanded in the calmest of voices.

Veronica chuckled.

“I’m not going to _kill_ him, Pea. I just think he deserves to be hurt just as much as he’s hurt Jughead… _and_ me.”

Archie winced as he pressed his hands against the door, his chest heaving with fear.

“Veronica…I _am_ hurt…maybe not the way Jughead is…but I’m in more pain that I can even describe over everything that’s happened tonight, over everything that’s happened in the past few _months_. When I saw you two together, and I knew that Jughead had won you…I…I _snapped_. I’m sorry…I’m _so_ sorry. And that should have been the first thing I said to you when I opened the door, but I wanted you to be sorry too. I wanted you to be sorry _first_. Just…don’t be as stupid as I was…we need to stop all this fighting…”

Veronica could barely feel the knife in her hand as she listened to Archie’s plea, almost as if Jughead’s Serpent weapon had suddenly become a part of her, an extension of her. She wanted to use it, but so far, the best she could do was place the blade against Archie’s neck, right on the spot where his vein pulsated just beneath the skin.

“I _was_ sorry, Archie. And I tried to get you to just _talk_ to me. But you wouldn’t…and now I feel nothing for you but disgust and pity and a need for revenge.”

At that moment, she’d had enough as the images of a bloodied Jughead flashed through her mind. She gripped the knife so hard that her knuckles were white. She drew back her hand, not knowing exactly where she was aiming as Archie stood there helplessly at her mercy.

But before she could make even the tiniest nick against Archie’s skin, Sweet Pea had grabbed her wrist while Kevin wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back from Archie.

“Let me go!” She yelped, trying her best to hold onto the knife, but Sweet Pea had swiftly and expertly retrieved it before shoving the knife inside his jeans pocket. He had disarmed her with such ease that it only made her angrier.

“Why are you _stopping_ me?! Don’t you care about Jughead?!” She shouted at Sweet Pea while Kevin continued to hold her back.

Sweet Pea shook his head, a look of disappointment on his face.

“That’s _exactly_ why I stopped you. Because I care about Jughead, and I care about _you_. Jughead would _never_ forgive me if I didn’t make sure you were okay and not trying to get revenge on his behalf. That’s not what he would want, Veronica. And you _know_ that’s not what he would want. Get it through your thick, prom queen skull that Jughead _loves_ you and wants you to be _better_ than the bullshit Andrews pulled tonight.”

Something about Sweet Pea’s words made her body suddenly go limp. The adrenaline was gone as she began to sob in Kevin’s arms, shaking from the realization of what she had been so ready to do just moments earlier.

It was true. Jughead would be mortified if he knew that she had wanted to hurt Archie. He would never forgive himself, even though she was the one who wouldn’t deserve forgiveness.

“Okay…” She said faintly as she looked up at Sweet Pea through blurry eyes from the tears that wouldn’t seem to stop falling.

“Please…just…take me to see Jug.”

 

To be continued…

 


	14. Chapter 14

Veronica sighed with relief when she saw Jughead conscious and talking to Betty when she finally arrived at his hospital room.

She had spoken with his doctor just moments earlier, finding out that Jughead didn’t have any internal bleeding and would only be kept overnight for observation.

“He’s a tough kid.” The doctor had said, eliciting a grin from Veronica. 

Jughead's ability overcome whatever was thrown at him was just one of the reasons why she loved him so much.

“But, he’s going to need a lot of rest while he heals. I’m recommending he be excused from attending classes for the rest of the school year. He’ll be on home-bound studies, which should make him well enough for graduation, but he needs to take it easy.”

Veronica nodded, feeling grateful for the prognosis and knowing that there would be a less likely chance for any further confrontations with Archie if Jughead wasn’t walking the halls of Riverdale High.

And she would do whatever she had to in order to make sure Jughead’s grades stayed up. If it meant all night study sessions without any chance of being able to touch each other, she would do it. She would do anything for him.

“Veronica!”

She smiled at the sound of Jughead’s raspy, tired voice saying her name. There had a been a moment after the attack from Archie where she wondered if she would ever actually hear Jughead say her name ever again.

The thought made her wince, but she forced a smile.

“Hey you.” She said as she approached his bed and took his outstretched hand in hers.

She wanted to hold him, kiss him, but she knew he was still too tender, and she didn’t feel comfortable showing that kind of affection with Betty right there, especially when it wasn't fair to her.

“How are you feeling?” Veronica asked, knowing it was a stupid question but genuinely needing to hear him tell her that he was fine. She needed something positive to hold onto.

“Terrible. But at least you’re here now. Where have you been?” He asked, concern covering his battered face.

Veronica shook her head, not yet having the nerve to talk to him about what she had done.

“I’ll let these guys fill you in.” She said as Kevin, Fangs, and Sweet Pea entered the room.

“I need to talk to Betty for just a minute.”

Veronica motioned for Betty to follow her into the hallway, much to Betty’s surprise.

“What’s going on?” Betty asked as she eyed Veronica curiously.

“You didn’t go all Bernardo on Archie, did you?” She asked, referencing the school play.

Veronica wasn’t surprised to find that Betty had taken note of the parallels between _West Side Story_ and the actual real life events that had taken place that night.

“No…but I almost did. I mean…I don’t know that I would have done anything at all. I thought I could, I _felt_ like I could. But Sweet Pea…he stopped me. I was just so _angry_ at Archie...”

Veronica sighed as she leaned against the wall, still shaky from her confrontation with Archie. During the drive to the hospital, the remorse had flooded her. She hadn’t even known who she was as she had stood there holding a knife to Archie’s throat. And it was exactly what she had thought about Archie, that she hadn’t known who _he_ was while he’d been wailing on Jughead.

She had quickly realized that she didn’t want to be like Archie, and she was beyond grateful that Sweet Pea had been there to stop her and that she had actually listened to him. She never wanted to see that side of herself again. And she had made a promise to herself that she never would.

“I’m angry at him too.” Betty said with a sigh.

Veronica waited for her to say more, but she didn’t.

“But you understand why he did it, huh?”

Betty nodded, a grim look on her face.

“Don’t get me wrong, Veronica. It’s _torture_ for me to see Jughead in that hospital bed and to know that Archie was the one that delivered all of that pain to him. But the way Jughead _looks,_ that’s the way you two have made me and Archie _feel_. It’s the worst kind of pain. And regardless of the years of friendship, no matter how many, it doesn’t change what you and Jughead did behind our backs. In fact, it’s those years of friendship that should have kept you from doing that at _all_.”

As much as Veronica wanted to look away from Betty, she kept her eyes locked on hers. She wasn’t going to let her complete shame keep her from hearing the truth and looking Betty in the eyes while she delivered it. Betty deserved the chance to say whatever she wanted to.

And Betty had also made the same observation that Archie had. That the way Jughead looked was how she and Archie felt. Funny enough, it was how Veronica felt too.

“I get it, Veronica, you two are in love, and when you’re in love you don’t think rationally all the time. But you can’t tell me that you two couldn’t have tried to be stronger. That you couldn’t have at least waited until you went to New York before starting something, or continuing it. I know you think you _did_ try, but you didn’t try hard enough…and now…look at what it has led to.”

Veronica turned to look at Jughead through the hospital room window. He was listening intently to Sweet Pea and Kevin, and she knew they were telling him all about what had happened at Archie’s house.

Jughead would be so angry with her, and she couldn’t blame him for it.

“You’re right, Betty. And I know nothing I say is going to make anything better. I can’t go back in time and I have no idea what will happen in the future…but, right now, the only thing I can do is tell you that I’m sorry, and I’ll _always_ be sorry. I _should_ have been stronger, but I let my weakness have complete authority over me. I’ll never get over what it’s done to you and Archie.”

Betty shrugged.

“Fortunately, for me and Archie, we’ll eventually get over the two of you and what you’ve done to us. We won’t have to live with the regret that you and Jughead will have to live with.”

Betty paused for a minute, a slight smirk creeping up on her face before she continued.

“Honestly, Veronica…I’m not surprised that you fell in love with Jughead. He’s the _best_ of the best, and I see how he’s changed you, and in better ways. The only good thing that can really come out of this whole fucked up situation is that he continues to make you better…that you continue to make each _other_ better. But…forgive me if I don’t really want to think about that right now.”

Veronica nodded, understanding that it had been a long, painful night and Betty had gone above and beyond any obligation she had towards the boy who had broken her heart just hours earlier.

“For what it’s worth, Betty, thank you for staying with him. I know you are one of _very_ few people who he would want to be by his side in a situation like this.”

Betty gave her a crooked grin.

“I’ll always care about him. All I can hope is that you will too.”

\---

 

“What the _hell_ were you thinking, Veronica? Why would you even _consider_ going over to confront Archie, and with _my_ knife? Have you lost your fucking _mind_?”

Jughead was well aware that his level of anger was exactly the repercussions Sweet Pea told him that he had been trying to warn Veronica about when they had been in route towards Archie’s house. She had been so foolish and Jughead had never been so pissed off at her.

Sweet Pea had told him everything, to Jughead’s complete horror, as he listened to what Veronica had done. 

“You could have gotten hurt! Who _knows_ what kind of shit Archie would have tried to pull if Kevin and Sweet Pea hadn’t had the good sense to go with you.”

He watched as Veronica stood next to his hospital bed, looking so regretful, so sad. He almost felt bad for getting upset with her.

“I’m sorry, Jughead. I guess…all I could think about was how hurt you were. I wasn’t sure if you would even make it, and I was terrified that…”

She couldn’t even finish the sentence, and it hit Jughead again just how incredibly awful it must have been for Veronica to watch him stand there and do nothing while Archie landed blow after blow until he’d slumped to the floor, eventually passing out completely from the pain and shock to his body.

“I understand, Veronica…I do…but what you did…you just _shouldn’t_ have. I know you are brave… _so_ brave. And you’re so _fucking_ strong. But you’re also smart, much smarter than that. If something had happened to you…I never would have forgiven myself, and I never would have forgiven _you_ either.”

Jughead sighed, knowing he was partly to blame for why Veronica had done what she had done in the first place. They had both done incredibly stupid things, things that should never have happened. When it came down to it, he and Veronica really had no one to blame but themselves for all of it.

“What a mess this night has been.” She said quietly as she sat down on the bed next to him and took his hand in hers.

His heart pounded as he gazed at her, still looking so lovely despite the blood on her dress and the circles under her eyes. All he wanted to do was have her lay in the hospital bed with him, to kiss her and hold her until they both drifted to sleep, forgetting about the nearly catastrophic events of prom night.

But he couldn’t. Not when things were as screwed up as they were.

He swallowed hard, gathering up the nerve to do what he knew he had to do if things were ever going to be okay again.

“Veronica…do you understand what has to happen now?” He asked, his voice so quiet he almost hoped she hadn’t heard him.

He didn’t want to say anything else, it was too difficult, and it would only tear two more hearts apart.

Veronica nodded as she put a hand to her mouth, attempting to stifle the sobs that wanted to escape.

“Falling in love with you has only seemed to cause problems…for _both_ of us…and for Betty and Archie too. Not to mention our parents, who are also dead set against us being together. I don’t care what a bunch of nameless and faceless people at school want. I don’t care what Kevin and Sweet Pea think we should do. It’s obvious that there is just no way you and I can be together and it be okay.”

Saying the words was much more painful than he’d thought it would be. So much so that he’d rather take another round of Archie punching him continuously just to not ever have to go through what he was going through now.

“I love you more than my own life, but we can’t keep doing this. We can’t be…” He couldn’t even say the rest of the words. It hurt too much.

All he had wanted for the past couple of months was to be with Veronica. She was the one and only thing he had ever wanted more than anything else, even more than NYU. But it couldn’t happen, and there had never been any promise that it could. He’d been a fool, and now he had to pay the consequences for his foolishness.

“I know, Jug…I know.”

She didn’t try to argue, it was just as clear to Veronica that they had gotten in too far over their heads when it came to each other. And he wondered how they hadn’t already predicted how things would all blow apart right in their faces. Regardless, he wasn’t sure they would have done anything differently. And it was that thought that bothered him the most.

“We have to stay away from each other...for real this time. No more giving in.” Jughead said as he pulled his hand away from Veronica's.

Veronica nodded, but she didn’t say a word as she stood up from the bed. She leaned down, closing her eyes before capturing Jughead's lips with her own, one last time. 

He still got weak all over whenever she was close to him, when she kissed him, and he wished like hell he could keep her with him and not allow her to pull away. One kiss was never enough, but he had no choice but to let her turn to leave.

As he watched her walk towards the hospital room door, all he wanted to do was shout for her to come back, to forget everything he had just said, that they would find a way to make things work, that this wasn’t the end.

It wasn’t until the door had closed behind her that he realized he’d been holding his breath, completely silent and still, waiting to see if she might come back any second now and tell him that she couldn’t walk away.

But the realization that she wasn’t coming back sank its teeth slowly into his heart.

“ _Fuck_!” He shouted as he slammed his fist down on the bed rail, tears spilling from his eyes, stinging the cuts on his face. But he ignored the physical pain, because it didn’t even come close to comparing to the emotional torment what he felt inside his chest.

He deserved this. All of it. So he had no choice but to get comfortable with the pain, as well as knowing full well that he may never recover.

Because his heart could only ever belong to Veronica, right then and forever, whether she was his or not.

 

To be continued...

 


	15. Chapter 15

“Does the whole school know?” Veronica asked, her voice low as she and Kevin walked through the halls of Riverdale High a few days after the dramatic events of prom night.

She had stayed home for the first part of the week, unable to deal with being around anyone as she tried to come to terms with everything that had happened. But more than anything, she’d needed a few days to nurse her wounded heart.

But a few days at home, in bed, crying in between watching old black and white movies and reading any article she could find on how to get over someone, hadn’t been nearly enough to quell the ache in her chest.

“Pretty much.” Kevin replied.

“But they only know about Archie beating up Jughead, they don’t know anything about the knife incident. Oh, and they all know about you and Jughead having a secret relationship. Everything else is just hearsay and rumors.”

Veronica sighed heavily as she stopped at her locker.

“So...have you talked to him at all?” Kevin asked quietly as he put a comforting hand on Veronica’s shoulder.

Even without hearing Jughead’s name, just the mention of him tore her apart inside.

She shook her head, doing her best to not allow herself to cry at school. She had hoped she had cried enough and could at least make it through her classes before going home to wallow some more.

“At least you don’t have to see him. No reopening of wounds every single day.” Kevin said, trying to sound upbeat, but it was useless.

There wasn’t anything that made any of this easier. In fact, not being able to see Jughead was just as unbearable as seeing him. She couldn’t stop wondering how he was doing, if he was feeling better, if he was getting the rest he needed, if he had all of his make-up homework, if he’d begun his financial aid applications for college, if he missed her as she missed him.

She was in absolute misery not being able to be with him, but she also had to constantly remind herself of how things had gotten to this point.

“He’s doing fine, Veronica. Don’t worry.” Kevin told her, as if he’d read her mind.

Veronica nodded, wanting to ask him so many questions, but knowing she couldn’t.

“Sweet Pea has been visiting him every day. FP got his pain prescription and gave Jughead his bed. But…he’s just as miserable as you are, V. He’s asked Sweet Pea about you every day, but Sweet Pea didn’t have anything to tell him since you hadn’t been at school. He said Jughead was so concerned, that if you hadn’t shown up today, Sweet Pea and I were instructed to call your mom and dad as well as request a visit from Riverdale PD to check on you.”

Veronica couldn’t help but smirk as she shook her head. It was so typical of Jughead to do something like that.

But the warmth in her heart didn’t last long before the ache returned, reminding her that she had no choice but to love Jughead Jones from a distance.

“Has Archie spoken to him?” Veronica asked, curious as to whether or not Archie had apologized for inflicting such a horrendous beating on his best friend.

The thought of the two of them not getting past all of this insanity, broke her heart. If she couldn’t be with Jughead, then she at least wanted him to have his best friend back.

Kevin shook his head.

“Not that I know of, but I’m almost positive he hasn’t. Archie still seems to be extremely conflicted. He’s angry, but he feels guilty, but then gets angry about feeling guilty. At least, that’s what Betty has told me. She’s talked to him, but he’s been keeping to himself. Half the people in this school think that what Archie did was the right thing, that Jughead deserved it. The other half think he went way too far and are calling him a bully. Fucking thank _God_ high school is almost over.”

Veronica chuckled sarcastically.

“You can say _that_ again.”

The bell was ringing as she made her way into her first class, and like a kneejerk reaction, she looked over at Jughead’s empty seat.

A part of her had been hoping that she would walk in and see him sitting there, giving her that sexy, knowing grin that he’d started giving her after they’d began rehearsing with each other for the play.

All of that seemed like a lifetime ago.

And things had only been a rollercoaster ever since. She couldn’t argue with Jughead when he had said that things had been a mess ever since they’d begun to feel something for each other. When it had just been sex, it had been a hell of a lot less complicated.

It would have been incredibly naïve for her to think that things weren’t going to fall apart eventually, because when it came down to it, she’d always known there was something there between her and Jughead. That if the two of them collectively decided to explore their hidden curiosity for each other, that it would do nothing but snowball into something unstoppable, until everything in its path was demolished.

But even if being together wasn’t possible, _couldn’t_ be possible, it didn’t stop her from still loving him with every single cell in her body.

Jughead was _it_ for her. And she had no idea how she was going to be able to get through life without him.

\---

 

“I can’t believe you’re graduating today. It doesn’t seem possible that time went by that fast.” FP said as he straightened Jughead’s tie.

It had been three weeks since Jughead had gone to his senior prom feeling pensive but hopeful. Not knowing what, if anything, would happen with Veronica.

He’d been in the clouds when they had won prom king and queen, had danced together, when they’d made love at Cheryl’s party, and had decided to give being together a try.

But then it had all come crashing down around him.

Archie’s violent rejection towards Jughead and Veronica’s feelings for each other, followed by Veronica’s threat to do the same thing to Archie that Archie had done to Jughead, all in the name of revenge, had led to Jughead making the gut-wrenching decision to cut Veronica out of his life.

It was all done as some sort of strange offering. Some way to make amends for all the wrong. Because all he knew was that by not being with Veronica, he might be able to help heal the heartache he and Veronica had caused Archie and Betty.

“Do you want me to drive you to the school?” FP asked as he gave his son a concerned look.

Jughead’s protective father had barely let his son out of his sight, too fearful of what could happen if he wasn’t around to make sure Jughead was safe.

The beating from Archie had torn FP Jones apart, and Jughead had felt incredibly guilty for it. The same guilt he’d felt knowing how traumatic it had been for Veronica too, as well as Betty, and Sweet Pea, and many other people that cared about him.

“I can drive myself. It’s fine, dad. Archie isn’t going to try anything. Betty assured me.”

But FP still had a nervous look on his weary weathered face.

“He better not. Because I won’t hesitate to sic the Serpents on him this time.”

Jughead rolled his eyes, but chuckled at his dad’s distrust in the guy who had once been Jughead’s closest friend in the whole entire world.

Things had changed a lot, and it wasn’t lost on Jughead how bizarre it had all been.

Even his love for Veronica seemed to completely confound FP.

“Never thought I’d see the day when my only son would be brooding over a Lodge girl.” FP had said one afternoon a couple weeks earlier when he’d caught Jughead listening to The Skyliners famous hit “Since I Don’t Have You.”

Jughead had glared at his father, not the least bit amused.

Trying to get over Veronica had been futile so far, and he didn’t foresee it getting any easier or better.

“Son, if you love her as much as you seem to, then just be with her. Fuck everybody else. You, Veronica, Archie, and Betty are all so young. You have no idea what life has in store for all of you. You’re only at the beginning. You’ll be amazed at how trivial all this shit will be in the scheme of things. In 20 years, it will be just a distant memory.”

Jughead listened, even though nothing FP said was going to change his decision to stay away from Veronica.

“People change, Jug. They grow up, they move on. When you’re young, you don’t think about how long life is. You’re going to go through a lot as you become an adult. What happened in high school won’t have the same weight it seems to have now. And what you’ll realize is that life is a crazy ride. You’re going to have a lot of shit happen, but don’t allow the bad things to keep you from experiencing all the good things that life will bring you. If Veronica is the one you want to be with, then be with her, son.”

Jughead gave his father a quizzical look.

“I thought you didn’t approve of me being with Veronica.”

But FP shrugged.

“I haven’t had the best track record with the Lodge family. Hiram Lodge can be a shady character. But despite that, I know that _you_ have a good head on your shoulders, and if you love Veronica Lodge, then I can’t imagine that it’s in vain. I know you, Jughead, and I know what it means for you to open your heart to someone. If you’ve opened your heart to Veronica, then it must mean that she is an incredibly special girl.”

Jughead found himself nodding at what his dad was saying.

Loving someone wasn’t something that Jughead went into lightly. The fact that Veronica had seized his heart so easily had been quite a momentous thing for him. But he couldn’t help but constantly wonder why falling in love with Veronica Lodge had to come with such a hefty price.

Jughead sighed as he picked up his graduation cap off of the kitchen table.

“I better get going.” He said with a sigh.

“I’ll see you after the ceremony.”

Jughead rode his motorcycle to the school, wishing his heart was as healed as his body, but knowing that the only thing that could make him feel whole again was the one thing he couldn’t have.

His heart pounded in his chest as he entered the Riverdale High auditorium, memories of the school play hitting him hard as he looked up at the stage.

He could feel eyes on him, he could hear the whispers.

Jughead Jones was back, and there was an energy in the air among his classmates. He knew they were wondering what might happen. If graduation would be filled with the sort of drama that had happened on prom night.

But Jughead knew Archie wouldn’t do anything, because Archie knew that if he came after Jughead a second time, it would be nothing like the first time.

If there ever had to be a next time, Jughead would fight back, and he wouldn’t be the one on the ground afterwards. Because no matter how much Jughead still loved and cared for his best friend, he would never allow Archie to do that to him again, even if it meant hurting Archie just as badly, if not worse.

“the J’s are over on row 16.”

Jughead turned to see Betty standing by the double doors of the auditorium, directing the graduates to their places.

“Hey Betts.” He said with an apprehensive smile.

She had only visited him once at his house after he’d been released from the hospital, knowing they both needed some distance from each other if they wanted to try and be friends.

But he had used the visit to tell Betty that he had no intention of pursuing a relationship with Veronica, much to Betty’s surprise.

“But you love her, Jug.” She had said, obviously confused about why he wouldn’t pursue being with the girl he had gone through pure hell for.

“I do, and I think I always will. But…I can’t be with her knowing what it has done to others, and what it’s done to me and Veronica too.”

But Betty shook her head.

“That’s ridiculous. I know being perpetually tortured is kind of your thing, Juggy, but this is a _whole_ other level. Regardless of how I feel about you being with Veronica, I _do_ care about your happiness, and I know she makes you happy. I know despite all of this drama that we’ve all gone through, she would be your ray of sunshine. You don’t have to keep punishing yourself.”

Jughead had sighed, knowing she was right about everything but one thing.

“Punishing myself is what I deserve. Living _with_ my mistakes, and _without_ Veronica…it’s just…it’s what has to be.”

That’s what he kept telling himself, and everyone else, but even Jughead was having a hard time convincing himself that not being with Veronica was the only way to get past all of the drama. But he couldn’t think of any other solution.

“the L’s are in row 17, just in case…” She replied with a pained look on her face. 

Jughead’s pulse hadn’t stopped racing and his heart hadn’t stopped pounding ever since he’d left his trailer.

He would see Veronica tonight. As painful as it would be, he also wanting nothing more than to see her, though that was all he could do.

Touching her, holding her, kissing her, talking to her; he couldn’t do any of it, even though it was all he wanted. He missed her so much that he couldn’t get rid of the knots in his stomach that he felt on a constant basis. He couldn’t get the memories of her out of his mind.

He dreamed about her, he could smell her everywhere, and his body still reacted to thoughts of what they would do when they were alone, when no one but the two of them knew where they were.

“Thanks…but…I’ll be okay…” He replied, trying to give Betty a genuine smile.

But inside, he was a complete wreck.

“You look good, Jug. Except for the sadness written all over your face.” Betty said as she looked him over.  

“You still haven’t seen or talked to her?”

Jughead sighed as he shook his head.

“Is she here yet?” He asked, not wanting to look around out of fear that he would fall apart if his eyes landed on her unexpectedly.

Betty shook her head.

“I haven’t seen her.”

Jughead took a deep breath. Anticipating Veronica’s arrival was making him so on edge that he wished to God he had taken the flask that Sweet Pea had offered him when he’d run into his fellow Serpent in the parking lot earlier, because feeling like the most wound up ball of nerves to ever exist wasn’t siting well with him.

And then the ball exploded into a million pieces when Veronica suddenly walked through the double doors of the auditorium in her stilettos, looking absolutely breathtaking in a short, sexy, black dress, her cap and gown in her hands.

She barely glanced at Jughead before breezing past him as if she barely knew him to join the other students whose last name’s started with an L.

The lack of acknowledgement reminded him of the old days when Veronica had barely been aware of his existence, and it hit him harder than any punch from Archie could ever do.

Veronica didn’t look back as she smiled at the other L’s, flipping her hair and touching her neck in that way that always drove Jughead wild.

He watched with his heart in his throat as she pulled her graduation gown on over her incredible body, chatting with friends as Reggie Mantle leaned forward in his seat in the M row to help her adjust her cap.

Jughead winced at the flirtatious interaction between the meathead jock and the girl he still loved.

He knew it was wrong for him to wonder if she had actually gotten over him in just three short weeks, if she was possibly dating Reggie now, if she had moved on, if he had really lost her. 

Maybe he should be happy that she was apparently fine after their breakup. Maybe he should be thankful that she was seemingly okay and happy. Maybe it was better that she date someone like Reggie.

But all of those maybe’s didn’t help to ease the colossal, unyielding pain in his chest.

Because the only maybe that kept turning over in his mind as he watched Veronica smile and laugh like she didn’t have a care in the world, was that maybe he really had been just a phase after all.

 

To be continued…

 


	16. Chapter 16

Veronica couldn’t concentrate at all on what Reggie was telling her about the football camp he would be attending during the summer, or something, at whatever school he had been accepted to, and she didn’t even care if he happened to notice her lack of attention.

All she could think about was Jughead standing by the doors of the auditorium, talking to Betty, looking so good after having healed over the last three weeks. He even looked more handsome than before, which she hadn’t thought was possible when he already made her heart swoon whenever she looked at him. It was obvious that he had been working on his health and on his body, preparing for a round two with Archie if a round two were to happen. And she was relieved to know that he wouldn’t allow himself to be hurt again that way. Once had been enough.

Veronica's pulse raced, able to feel Jughead’s eyes on her as she sat in her seat, but she refused to look at him. 

She had already seen Archie sitting in the front row, his eyes scanning the room, the look of distress on his face, and Veronica wasn’t about to let him find any reason to start any shit with Jughead again.

As much as it had pained her to walk by Jughead like he wasn’t worth her time, she knew it was the only way she could keep the peace. It was the only way to keep everyone from expecting something to happen.

Because this was it. This was their graduation, and she would be damned if she let anything happen that could ruin this day, this milestone, that they had waited their whole lives for. Graduation would not end the way prom had.

Finally, it was time for Principal Weatherbee to begin the ceremony by announcing to the graduates to take their seats so they could start letting family and friends enter the auditorium.

Veronica’s heart was pounding so hard that she put her hand to her chest, somehow thinking it would calm her, but being calm was impossible when Jughead looked over at her as he took his seat almost directly in front of her.

She looked away from his eyes immediately, and instead, tried to concentrate on the graduation program she held in her hand. But all the words on the paper were just a jumbled blur.

Being in the same room with him, so close by, reminded her of how the last few weeks had been the hardest weeks of her life.

The only thing she had been able to do was try her best to concentrate on school. So she had focused all of her attention on passing every test, every paper, every homework assignment she was given. 

Veronica hadn’t talked to Betty or Archie. Instead, she had chosen to keep her distance from both of them. Betty hadn’t seemed the least bit interested in patching up their broken friendship, but Veronica completely understood why.

She didn’t know where she stood with Archie, and it was obvious that Archie didn’t know where he stood with her either. So the two exes avoided each other as much as possible, which was a lot easier than Veronica had thought it would be considering the fact that she didn’t even bothered going out.

She hadn’t gone to any of the end of the year parties, dances, or social events ever since prom. She had barely even gone to Pop’s. She hadn’t wanted to do much of anything but try to get over the incessant heartache she felt every single day, all day long.

But getting over Jughead was impossible. She was still just as much in love with him as she had always been, and she had no doubt that she would never get over him.

Veronica sighed, feeling a combination of anxiety and sorrow as she listened to names being called, her classmates walking across the stage to collect their diploma's.

This wasn't how she had expected her senior year of high school to end.

Regardless of her pain, she couldn’t control the smile that covered her face as she watched Jughead graduate with high honors and academic honors. The many cords and sashes around his neck made her unbelievably proud of him, but she would have been proud of him regardless. She only wished she could congratulate him the way she wanted to.

She found herself hoping that he was just as proud of her when she went up to get her own diploma and shake the hands of Riverdale High’s administration team before getting her picture taken as she exited the stage, the stage where she had made so many incredible memories.

Her favorite one being the way Jughead had kissed her right after they had sung their “One Hand, One Heart” song as Tony and Maria. It had been the very same night when he had first told her that he was falling in love with her. The memory still gave her goosebumps.

She would never forget that moment for as long as she lived, and she held it close to her heart, because it seemed that those amazing memories were all she had left of him.

\---

 

It had been almost an hour since Jughead had said goodbye to his dad, and the Riverdale High School auditorium had been slowly emptying out after the graduation ceremony, followed by all of his fellow classmates taking pictures with friends and family, and everyone chattering about the graduation parties that would be going on that night.

But all Jughead could think about was Veronica and how he couldn't quell the intense need he had to speak to her. If anything, to congratulate her, and to selfishly find out if she still felt for him what he felt for her. To find out if she still loved him.

He had to know.

So he waited.

Finally, Veronica emerged from the auditorium, and swiftly walked towards the town car that was waiting to take her back to the Pembrooke.

“Veronica!”

He watched as she stopped in her tracks, turning around quickly to face him.

She looked around nervously before stalking toward him.

“What the _hell_ , Jughead? What if someone sees us talking to each other?”

Jughead scowled.

“ _What_? We can’t even just _talk_?” He asked, suddenly frustrated with how angry she seemed to be with him when all he had wanted was to just be acknowledged by her.

“Seriously?  _You’re_ the one who said we had to stay away from each other. I’ve only been trying to honor your request.” She replied sharply as she walked over to a side of the building where they couldn’t be seen as several more students trickled out through the main auditorium doors.

“Veronica…” Jughead sighed as he joined her in the darkness, away from any possible prying eyes.

“You _know_ I had no other choice. Things had gotten completely out of control.”

Veronica crossed her arms as she leaned her back up against the brick building.

“I know, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less to not be allowed to see you, much less _speak_ to you.

Jughead’s heart slammed inside his chest. She still cared, but he absolutely loathed the fact that he’d hurt her so much. He’d hurt himself too, but he didn’t matter. Veronica mattered.

“Is that why you acted like you didn’t even know me earlier?” He asked, still upset by her slight, but beginning to understand why she’d done what she had done.

Veronica nodded.

“If we’re going to continue to stay concerned about Archie and Betty’s feelings above our own, then I figured you would understand why I would have to pretend like I don’t care about you.” She replied as she looked down at the ground.

Jughead sighed, relief filling his chest.

“So...you _do_ still care about me?” He asked, feeling a lightness in his heart, knowing she would never deny it, but needing to hear her say it anyway.

He could be okay if he just knew, without a doubt, that Veronica still cared.

Veronica took a deep breath as she looked at him in the dim light, her eyes had become such a beacon of trust and love for him. He’d always felt an intense calm when he looked into them, a contradiction that always amazed him.

“I would think you know me well enough to know that I do, Jughead.”

But Jughead still wasn’t totally satisfied as he swallowed hard before asking his next question, no matter how self-serving it was for him to ask it.

“Do you still love me?” He asked, hearing the hopefulness in his voice, but feeling no shame for it.

Veronica sighed.

“You’re already breaking your own rules by talking to me. If we’re supposed to be staying away from each other and moving on, why would you ask me that?”

She didn’t wait for an answer as she started to walk away, and Jughead almost let her leave, knowing she was right.

But he was sick of watching Veronica walk away.

He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her back.

“I asked you because despite what I told you, despite the fact that I know we can’t be together right now, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m still in love with you, Veronica Lodge. And…as much of a dick as it makes me, as selfish as I am, I want you to still be in love with me too. Because maybe…maybe it means that we have a chance.”

Veronica didn’t say anything, only looked at him with a mixture of apprehension and longing on her beautiful face. So Jughead continued.

“My dad said something to me not long ago that I can’t get out of my mind. He told me that all of this stupid drama we’ve been dealing with eventually won’t mean anything to any of us, and a lot sooner than we may realize. I can’t get this nagging feeling out of my mind that I have to let go of trying to control what happens.”

Jughead sighed as he cupped her face in his hand, gazing into her eyes, dying to kiss her, desperate to take her to one of their secret places.

“I realize that the only other solution to everything is to let time do what its intended to do. To heal wounds and mend hearts. But what I _don’t_ want to happen is to lose your love in the process, if I haven’t lost it already. I need something to hold onto, baby.”

He wished like hell he could just kiss her, at least just once as his thumb brushed tenderly across her bottom lip. But instead, he took her hand and placed it on his chest.

His heart was pounding so hard and so fast, he knew she could feel it. She knew that everything he said was the honest truth.

“What do you want me to say?” She asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Jughead smirked.

“Do you _really_ have to ask me that?”              

Veronica chuckled.

“Damn it, Jughead…why do you make it impossible for me to resist you? What does it mean when we just can’t seem to leave each other alone?” She asked as she placed her other hand on his chest as if she had to hold him back from her.

He wasn’t at a safe distance, but he knew she was trying to stop herself from doing whatever it was that was playing around inside her mind. It was a struggle for both of them.

“You tell me.” He replied with a seductive grin.

Veronica rolled her eyes, a smile playing at the corner of her lips. A smile that made his heart nearly stop.

“Fine…you win. I’m still in love with you, Jug…and I won’t ever stop being in love with you.”

Jughead closed his eyes, exhaling slowly as he absorbed what she had just said. That was all he had needed to hear. 

He opened his eyes and looked into hers, wanting her to see his newfound determination.

“New York is for _us_ , Veronica. When we get there, when I see you again, that’s it. You’ll finally be mine, no obstacles between us, once and for all.”

His pulse raced even faster as Veronica smiled, stepping closer to him, her hands still on his chest, but her lips barely an inch from his.

“If you find me in New York, Jughead Jones, I’ll be yours forever.”

\---

 

“Congratulations, again, mija. Are you happy about the car?”

Veronica smiled at her father as she held the keys to her new Mercedes, her graduation gift that she would be driving up to NYU in at the end of the summer. She had just taken it for a spin around the town, and it drove like a dream.

“It’s beautiful, daddy. Thank you.” She replied as she gave her father and her mother another hug to thank them again for such a generous gift.

“We are _so_ proud of you, Ronnie. You’ve _exceeded_ our expectations, and you deserve to start your college life with the best of everything.” Hermione Lodge added as she smiled adoringly at her daughter.

Veronica nodded, grinning knowingly to herself. The best of everything and anything would be Jughead Jones, and her parents had no idea that they would soon be forced to accept the potential of Jughead being a huge part of her life in the not too distant future.

Because even though she had no idea when the moment would happen, she would eventually have to make good on her promise to the boy who owned her heart, it was just a matter of time before it happened. 

And she wouldn’t hesitate when that time came. She would be ready for it. Ready to be with him without any intention of ever letting him go, without any intention of ever walking away from him again.

Time had a way of restoring what was once broken, even though Veronica had no idea how long it would be before she and Jughead were just a distant memory to Archie and Betty. She didn’t know how much time would have to pass before the four people who had once been such good friends would be on good terms again, with no more anger or sadness or jealousy.

But Veronica had no doubt that each one of them were already on their way to being in a better place within.

She didn’t know if she would ever have the friendship she’d once had with Betty, or if Jughead would ever have the friendship that he’d once had with Archie, but there was hope that someday, what had once seemed unlikely, could eventually flourish again.

Regardless of the pain and regrets that still lingered, Veronica couldn’t go through life without knowing what it could be like to have Jughead by her side. To be able to walk down the street hand in hand, without any worries about what anyone might think, without any guilt or lies haunting them.

The anticipation for what lie ahead would give her something to look forward to during the long summer months until the fall, when she would be moving into her dorm at NYU, starting her classes, and wondering when she would see Jughead, wondering what that moment would be like when she could once again look into his passionate blue eyes and kiss his incredible lips.

She knew her heart would be full, because she and Jughead would no longer be kind of friends. Jughead would be hers, and she would be his. At last.

 

To be continued in an epilogue…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SO MUCH to all of you who've been commenting on the story! I feel so encouraged, and I'm loving how much you all seem to be loving it.
> 
> There is more to come...we're not finished yet!


	17. Epilogue

Jughead took the last bite of his hamburger before taking the plate to the kitchen and rinsing it off in the industrial sized sink. He made sure the rest of the dishes had been washed and placed in the drying racks before turning off the grill, the fryers, and the coffee pots.

It was closing time at the Golden Oldies Diner and he was ready to leave as soon as possible so he could get started on his application to join the writing staff of the university newspaper. He had wanted to dive into college life headfirst, to immerse himself in new challenges, ready to take on whatever he could to begin his career as a professional writer.

In the meantime, he’d started working at the diner only a week earlier, just a few days after his classes had begun at NYU. He was still new to it all, but after years of hanging out at Pop’s, he’d caught on quickly to how things in the restaurant were run.

Even with his financial aid and savings, the diner had become Jughead’s part time job to help pay for school. He worked in the evenings until closing, while attending his classes during the day. It had been an ideal situation so far, but he knew he would have to find a way to carve out time for Veronica when the two of them finally reconnected.

The thought of Veronica caused him to quickly check his phone before he began to refill the salt shakers, wondering if he would hear from her today.

The two hadn’t spoken to each other all summer except for the occasional text message. But the messages weren’t about keeping in touch, they were only about letting each other know that their hearts were still with each other.

_I love you, baby._

That was mostly all Veronica’s texts consisted of, but he’d gotten one every few days, all summer long.

_I love you too. I miss you._

Jughead would text to her.

_I miss you more._

She would reply.

The reassurance meant everything to him. It kept him going, but also made time go by excruciatingly slow.

But it had been necessary as wounds continued to heal.

“You and Veronica _really_ haven’t seen each other at all?” Archie had asked Jughead one afternoon in late July when he had asked Jughead to meet him at Pop’s.

Jughead had been hesitant at first, not because he was afraid of Archie, but because he was afraid of what Archie might say.

If Archie was still in love with Veronica, and still had no intention of letting go of everything that had happened, then Jughead’s guilt would be back full force.

The guilt would always be there, but Jughead knew that it wouldn’t be as awful to deal with if Archie was letting go and moving on.

“Not since graduation.” Jughead had replied, doing his best to not look as distressed about it as he was.

He missed Veronica so much that it was a constant pang in his chest, but he didn’t want Archie to know it. Archie didn’t deserve to feel any guilt for what Jughead was dealing with.

“I’ve only seen her once. We spoke a couple of weeks ago in this very same spot. I just had to work shit out with her. I don’t want to start this next phase of our lives without trying to understand everything that happened. It still hurts, Jughead, but I want to get past it.” Archie said as he shook his head, still in disbelief over all the drama they had gone through.

Jughead’s eyes widened with surprise. It was as if he was sitting across from a completely different Archie then the one he’d seen on prom night.

“And I’ll always be sorry for what I did to you at the party that night. At first, I didn’t know what came over me…it was just this intense _rage_. It took a while, but I finally figured out what made me go off on you like that.”

Jughead gave Archie a questioning look. He had wondered the same thing himself, at times.

“The thing is, Jug, is that I’ve been jealous of you for a long time. You’ve _always_ had better grades than me, you’ve _always_ known more about everything than me. You have all these talents that I don’t have. And then when you became a Serpent, people started to respect you and fear you. You became this total badass, while I’ve just been the same Archie that I’ve always been. And to top it all off, my girlfriend falls in love with you. That just seemed to be the last straw, the one that made me snap. Regardless, when I saw that you weren’t fighting back, I should have stopped.”

Archie sighed as he shook his head, still not believing how he had reacted, but Jughead couldn’t help but understand why Archie had done what he had done.

Jughead would likely have done the very same if he lost Veronica to someone else. Especially if that someone else was his best friend, someone who he had trusted so deeply.

“No more apologizing. It’s in the past now. But, Archie, I have just as much to be jealous about when it comes to _you_. In fact, that’s how I lived most of my life. But what I had to eventually come to terms with is the fact that you and I are two totally different people and we shouldn’t be at odds over our differences.”

Jughead sighed before continuing.

“And our differences should never have led up to the _massive_ betrayal that I caused. I’m sorry, man. I’ll _always_ be sorry for what I did to you.”

Archie nodded.

“I _know_ you, Jughead. You’ve been my best friend forever. And even though I didn’t want to admit it for a long time, I know that you’ve always had the best intentions. I know you tried to deny how you felt about Veronica, that you had tried to stay away from her. The fact that you’ve stayed away from her since graduation, not even talking to her, is more than enough proof that you’ve felt genuinely guilty about everything. And I appreciate that a lot, and even though I’m not completely over Veronica yet, I know I _will_ be.”

The two, old friends had talked for a while longer, catching up on what they’d missed out on over the past couple of months.

It felt like it had been forever since Jughead and Archie had spent time together this way, with no lies or secrets or anger between them. It was encouraging to know that they were on the road to repairing their friendship, even though it would take a while longer before they were completely solid again.

It was the same with Betty.

Jughead hadn’t seen or heard from her much either, but she had sent him a text wishing him well as he began college in New York.

And he had written her back, thanking her, and letting her know he was hoping they could hangout at some point during the holidays. Because Jughead hoped that by then, things would be in a much better place, that the road leading back to their friendship would be repaired even more. And not just with his own friendship with Betty, but Veronica’s friendship with Betty too.

Nothing was perfect yet, but the time and the sacrifice that Jughead and Veronica had made in order to attempt to right their wrongs, seemed to be working in everyone’s favor.

Now if he could just find his girl, things would be looking up even more.

He and Veronica hadn’t been in New York long, but they still hadn’t ran into each other yet. Jughead had moved into an apartment with three other NYU guys that had put an ad on one of the university bulletin boards looking for a fourth roommate to split rent with, while Veronica was living in a private room in one of the co-ed dorms.

Getting familiar with the city, the campus, their classes, attending orientations and getting jobs had kept the two from being able to reconnect after the long summer apart.

And Jughead was getting anxious.

Veronica had made it clear she still loved him, that nothing had changed, but those old insecurities had a way of popping up again when he least expected it.

She had initially wanted the two of them to have a random run-in, that it would be romantic and sweet, and Jughead had liked the idea. But as each day went by with him scanning every customer that came into the restaurant, every student that walked into one of his general ed classes, every dark-haired girl he saw walking around the campus, he was getting more and more desperate to find the girl that his heart belonged to.

Jughead sighed as he finished putting up the diner chairs onto the tables before grabbing his push broom, checking his phone again midway through before shoving it back in his pocket, disappointed at still not having heard from Veronica that day.

He tried to fill his thoughts with the memories he had of her while he continued to sweep the floor. His favorite one being the look on her face when she had won prom queen. The total modest surprise she’d had, and how wonderful it had sounded when she’d first told him she loved him while they danced.

He was still lost in the moment, unaware of anything out of the ordinary, when he suddenly heard a familiar song begin to play on the diner jukebox. A jukebox a lot like the one that had been at the Whyte Wyrm.

“I Only Have Eyes for You” began to fill the air as he quickly jerked his head to the corner of the diner where the jukebox sat.

His heart nearly burst through his chest when he saw Veronica leaning against it, smiling deviously at him. He couldn’t move at first, wondering if he was just imagining her.

She looked heartbreakingly gorgeous in her sexy little skirt and sweater, her dark hair cascading down her back several inches longer than it had been at graduation, her skin tanned from the hot summer months working as a lifeguard at the public pool. She was like a dream. The _best_ dream.

“If you’re trying to close up, you probably should have turned off the ‘open’ sign and locked the door. Some random girl with a major crush on you could sneak right in.” She said, teasingly.

Jughead dropped the broom, letting it clatter to the floor as he rushed over to her, scooping her up in his arms in one quick motion.

She flung her arms around his neck as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

“Oh _Jug_ …” She sighed as she held onto him tightly, as if she was afraid he would disappear.

“Are you real?” He asked as he pressed her back against the jukebox, his arms around her waist as he gazed at her.

Veronica nodded, chuckling.

“So, I found out where you worked by calling your dad. I wanted to surprise you. Fuck trying to meet by pure coincidence, I couldn’t stand the thought of another day going by without seeing you. I missed you way too much, Jughead Jones.”

Jughead grinned from ear to ear as he lowered her to the ground, but unable to release her from his arms. He wasn’t going to be able to let go of her for the rest of the night.

“God, I missed you, baby. I was starting to go crazy.” He replied before leaning down to kiss her.

The song that had become _their_ song continued to play while his lips seized Veronica’s with such ferocity that she moaned into his mouth between thrusts of their tongues against each other’s. Being able to kiss her again was his wish finally being granted, and he couldn’t get enough.

“Let’s go to my room.” She panted between passionate kisses.

“I’ve waited too long for you. I need you _now_ , Jughead.”

\---

 

Veronica pulled Jughead into her small dorm room and slammed the door behind them.

She had barely given him a chance to look around before she was holding his face in her hands, kissing him hotly and feverishly, her tongue licking the seam of his lips, requesting access to kiss him deeper.

Her mouth was hot against his, and she sighed when he finally parted his lips for her. His kiss was intense and addictive and she wanted it all over her body.

“It feels like it’s been forever…” Veronica sighed as Jughead’s lips left hers before planting open mouth kisses along her neck and throat, his hands tugging at the hem of her skirt until it slid off her body and onto the hardwood floor.

Good God, it felt heavenly to be with him again.

“Mm-hmm…” Jughead murmured, his mouth busy as he nipped her earlobe, his thumbs hooking into the waistband of her panties.

He pulled them off quickly before rubbing his hand over her slick core, his other hand on the small of her back, keeping her close.

“Oh… _fuck_ …” She groaned.

His touch made her dizzy with need, with a level of desire she’d never experienced before. She felt invincible, but weak, at the same time. It was unreal what Jughead did to her, what he’d _always_ been able to do to her.

“Make love to me, baby… _please_ …” She begged, hardly able to believe this was actually happening.

After so many nights of dreaming about this moment, it was finally reality. Jughead was hers again. And this time, he was hers without any barriers, without any complications.

In the dim light of the room, Jughead picked her up and carried her to her bed, laying her down gently before quickly undressing himself. Veronica pulled off her sweater, revealing no bra on underneath, much to Jughead’s obvious delight.

“Fuck…I missed those tits.” He said, making Veronica giggle.

“I missed that dick.” She replied with a seductive smile.

Jughead chuckled before stretching his body on top of her, pushing her legs apart with his knee before settling in between her thighs, the head of his cock teasing her.

“ _Please_ …I need you inside me…” Veronica whimpered as Jughead cupped a hand behind her neck, his other hand on her hip as he lowered his head to kiss her breast, his tongue flicking the pink tip, sucking it into his mouth, making her writhe uncontrollably under him.

“Yes…Jug… _yes_ …oh… _god_ …”

His hot breath on her skin made her heart slam inside her chest. She had known that all those lonely nights during the summer would be worth it when she got to be with him again. And Jughead did _not_ disappoint.

He moved from her breasts to claim her mouth with another dizzying tangle of lips and tongues and teeth, while she ran her hands down his chest, taking his hard erection into her hands, stroking him, begging to have him inside of her.

His breath hitched in his throat at the feel of her hands on him, and she smiled to herself as he tightened his grip on her hip, dropping his head to her shoulder.

Hot, heavy breaths rolled over the sensitive skin of her throat as she continued to slowly pump his rock hard cock in her hands.

“ _Fuck_ …baby…” He sighed as his hand joined hers.

Her pulse was racing wildly as her hands flew to his biceps, holding on for dear life as he stroked her core with the slick tip of his hard length, the wetness of her making him groan.

And then he was plunging into her, hard, until he was buried so deep inside, she arched her body against his, a yelp of shock and pleasure escaping from her lips.

“Oh… _god_ …” She moaned, trembling from how good it was to be filled by him again.

Jughead smiled sexily at her as he lifted her thighs, draping her legs over his shoulders as he sat up on his knees.

He pumped into her harder, faster, wincing as he grabbed her waist for leverage.

“Jughead… _fuck_ …yes!” She gasped as he ravaged her mercilessly.

This was exactly what she’d been wanting, what she’d been restless for, what she’d been thinking about every single time she touched herself when she was alone in her bed, trying to imagine her own hands were Jughead’s.

The whole reason why she’d convinced her parents to pay extra for a private dorm room was so she could make love to Jughead whenever she wanted, at any time, day or night. Though, she had told them that is was so she could have limited distractions while focusing on her studies.

But the only thing she was concerned about focusing on for the time being was Jughead and his incredible body. A body that worked hers so perfectly, she would never get enough.

His naked skin was searing and sweaty where it touched hers as he pounded into her, grinding his hips relentlessly until she was tumbling over the edge, crying out his name as she came hard around his throbbing cock.

He came along with her, pulling out to collapse next to her, trying to regain his breath as he pulled her to him in a hot, wet embrace.

It had been quick, that initial, carnal sex that had opened the floodgates for more, quenching the aching need for their bodies to be together. There was no doubt that Jughead and Veronica would make love until the early morning hours, slow and smooth, fast and reckless, pleasuring each other in every single way imaginable.

And in between, they could play catch up. Veronica was eager to know everything Jughead had been up to since graduation. She had constantly wondered about him, wondered what he was thinking, what he was doing. She’d missed him so much that there had been many nights when she had cried herself to sleep, wishing he was there to hold her, to whisper all those things in her ear that had always comforted her.

Now he could.

“I didn’t expect her to be so… _calm_ …about everything. But she was.” Veronica said as she filled Jughead in on her conversation with Betty just a couple of weeks earlier.

The two girls had met up for coffee, at Betty’s request, and Veronica had readily agreed.

“She still has no intention of trusting me anytime soon, and she seemed very cautious while she was talking to me. But, she doesn’t hate me, and that’s _something_.”

Jughead twirled a piece of her hair as she lay on his chest, and she reveled in it as the two talked about their summertime conversations with Archie and Betty.

“It definitely seems like they are both willing to let us back in their lives, though I know there is a long road ahead to getting back to a somewhat normal friendship. I’m just relieved that they are even talking to us at all.” Jughead said, a hopeful tone in his voice.

Veronica let out a long sigh.

“Being away from you was agonizing, Jug…but you were right. We needed to go through the pain of being apart. I’ll always regret hurting Archie and Betty, I can’t say that enough, but staying away from each other really might have been the best thing we could have done to make some sort of amends with them.”

Jughead turned to his side so he could look at her, his hand resting on her bare hip. He hadn’t stopped touching her ever since they’d reunited at the diner, and it gave her a constant thrill throughout her entire body.

“Being away from you was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through. And you _know_ everything I’ve gone through. But, Veronica, you’re my lifeline. You always _have_ been, even before I ever knew it, even before I’d fallen in love with you. I feel like…like I’ve _earned_ you. And because of that…I can finally give you everything you deserve…or do my best trying to.”

Veronica smiled amorously at the man who owned her heart. It wasn’t lost on her how lucky she was, no matter what she had gone through to get him.

“Funny you should say that because I feel like I’ve earned you too. _Finally_. It’s so strange to think about how all this began. I never expected to fall in love with you, Jug, but I did. Do you ever think about that? How we were barely even friends not even a year ago?”

Jughead nodded, chuckling at how ridiculously insane the past year had been.

“It’s been quite a ride, babe. But we belong together.” He said as he softly stroked her cheek, gazing at her with those incredible blue eyes.

Veronica smiled. Her heart was full as she gave him a sweet, gentle kiss on the lips.

“We do.” She said as she pulled away.

“Because, Jughead…in case you didn’t know…I only have eyes for you.”

 

The End.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SO MUCH for reading, everyone!!! I hope you enjoyed how it ended. Let me know what you thought! I never would have written this whole story if you all hadn't been so encouraging after that first chapter, so THANK YOU! XOXO
> 
> Until the next one!


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